Budapest, Sept. 15 -- The World Athletics Championships are heading to Africa for the first time as Kenya's capital Nairobi was confirmed Tuesday as host of the 2029 edition of track and field's premier event.
Kenya has long been a superpower in distance running and is second on the all-time worlds medal table behind only the United States. The championships return to Germany in 2031 after a 22-year wait, with Munich hosting.
"Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said as he announced the decision following the Ultimate Championship in Hungary. "Athletics is woven into the fabric of Kenya." Salim Mvurya, the Kenyan government minister responsible for sports, said "the world will come to a country where running is more than competition, it is our national story." Coe added World Athletics research had shown Kenya was the most passionate market for track and field among those surveyed. The championships will use a stadium that's already being upgraded for Kenya co-hosting soccer's Africa Cup of Nations next year.
"It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment," Coe said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.