Nairobi lands 2029 Worlds, first in Africa and at altitude
Kasarani Stadium sits at 5,289 feet, and people are already talking about the sprint world records.
The World Athletics Council voted in Budapest to award the 2029 World Championships to Nairobi and the 2031 edition to Munich, per CITIUS MAG. London and Rome also bid and got nothing.
This will be the first time the senior World Championships have been staged in Africa
It is the first time the senior World Championships have been staged in Africa. CITIUS MAG notes Nairobi bid for 2025 and lost to Tokyo, with infrastructure flagged as the weak point, but the 48,000-seat Kasarani Stadium is getting a complete structural renovation ahead of AFCON 2027, which Kenya co-hosts with Tanzania and Uganda. The city hosted the 2017 World U18s and the 2021 World U20s.
The altitude question
Kasarani sits at 5,289 feet, or 1,612 meters. Jonathan Gault points out that makes this the first Worlds at elevation, about 350 feet higher than Albuquerque, and he thinks the sprint records are the story. The men's 100m and 200m marks of 9.58 and 19.19 have stood since 2009. The women's 10.49 and 21.34 have stood since 1988.
That is speculation until somebody actually races there. What is not speculation is that thin air helps sprinters and hurts everyone running longer, so every event plan for 2029 changes, not just the 100m.
The commercial case
World Athletics fan research found 68% of Kenyans surveyed rated their interest in track and field as high, against a 39% global average, which CITIUS MAG says made them the most track and field-interested market World Athletics has measured. Seb Coe said Nairobi and Munich "presented two compelling propositions."
Munich brings the championships back to Germany for the first time since Berlin 2009, at the Olympic Stadium that drew an estimated 267,000 fans across the 2022 European Championships.
What comes next
Chris Chavez laid out the calendar. Beijing hosts the World Championships from September 10 to 19, 2027. Track and field at the LA Olympics runs July 15 to July 30, 2028, with a World Ultimate Championships after the Games to close the season. Nairobi 2029 and Munich 2031 are both September, part of World Athletics' push to end every season with a major championship.
Chavez also ran the ages. Faith Kipyegon will be 35 in September 2029, Beatrice Chebet 29, Emmanuel Wanyonyi 25, Ferdinand Omanyala 33. Plenty of Kenya's current stars get a home Worlds while still in range.
David Monti posted a statement from Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, on the 2029 bid going to Nairobi instead of London.
Getting all of the world's best sprinters, fully peaked, at a Nairobi Worlds at 5,289 feet of elevation in 2029 might be the best opportunity we get to see 9.58/19.19 and 10.49/21.34 broken.
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