How an African country got the 2029 World Athletics Championships?

What the report says

World Athletics has awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships to Nairobi, Kenya, marking the first time the event will be staged on the African continent. The BBC Africa Sport report says the decision reflects how Nairobi secured support from the sport’s governing process, though the provided text does not list the full bid details or the voting breakdown.

The key development is significant for both Kenya and African athletics more broadly. Nairobi is a major regional sports hub, and hosting the championships will bring one of track and field’s biggest global events to an area that has produced many elite athletes but has never before hosted the world championships.

BBC Sport Africa’s Celestine Karoney is cited as explaining why the bid succeeded. Based on the limited article text, the report focuses on the reasons behind the award rather than on a detailed announcement from officials. The selection matters because it extends the championships into a new region and could raise the profile of athletics across the continent.

More generally, world championships are awarded years in advance, and host-city decisions usually weigh venue readiness, logistics and the sport’s global reach. That broader context helps explain why Nairobi’s selection is being presented as a milestone for the event and for African sport.