The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) has congratulated Kenya on its successful bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi, describing the decision as a historic moment for Kenya and the African continent.
World Athletics announced on September 15 that Nairobi had been selected to host the 2029 championships, making it the first African city to stage the flagship global athletics event. The decision was taken during the World Athletics Council meeting in Budapest.
Reacting to the announcement, Virginia Messina, Group CEO of ATTA®, said the organisation extended its “heartfelt congratulations” to Kenya and its sporting team on the successful bid.
“On behalf of the African Travel and Tourism Association, I would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Kenya and its sporting team for winning the bid to host the World Athletics Championship in 2029,” Messina said.
She described the victory, achieved against strong competing bids, as a significant milestone for the continent.
“The victory, against some extremely tough opponents, marks a truly historic moment for Kenya and the African continent as the World Athletics Championships come to Africa for the first time – and tells the world that Kenya and its dramatic mountainous terrain has been the birthplace to the some of the world’s greatest athletes,” she said.
Messina said hosting the championships would provide Kenya with an opportunity to showcase its athletics heritage while attracting visitors from around the world.
“Bringing one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events to Nairobi is a wonderful opportunity to showcase that heritage, while welcoming athletes, spectators and visitors from across the globe to experience Kenya for themselves,” she added.
The 2029 championships are expected to build on Nairobi’s growing experience in hosting major international athletics events. Kenya previously hosted the World U18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021. The Kasarani Stadium, which will host the 2029 championships, is also undergoing major renovations ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Messina also placed Kenya’s successful bid within what she described as a broader progression in Africa’s ability to host major international sporting events.
“This is another step in Africa hosting major, world class sporting events,” she said, pointing to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
She also highlighted Morocco’s role as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Messina concluded by congratulating all those involved in Kenya’s successful bid and expressed ATTA’s anticipation of the event. “Congratulations to everyone involved in the successful bid. We look forward to celebrating the World Athletics Championships at Nairobi’s iconic Kasarani Stadium in 2029.”
The 2029 championships will follow the 2027 edition in Beijing, while Munich has been selected to host the 2031 championships. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said Nairobi’s selection represented an important step in the organisation’s goal of expanding the championships across different regions of the world.I can also make this , with stronger emphasis on the expected benefits for Kenya’s destination marketing, hospitality and visitor economy.more tourism-focused
