World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has met with Kenyan President William Ruto in Eldoret as preparations start in earnest for the World Athletics Championships Nairobi 29 – the first edition of the sport's flagship event to be held on African soil.
The meeting marked Coe's first visit to Kenya since Nairobi was awarded the 2029 World Championships by the World Athletics Council in September.
The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to delivering an outstanding championships and discussed the key requirements for ensuring the success of the event, including government commitments relating to funding, anti-doping and stadium preparations.
The discussions also reinforced the importance of treating the championships as a national priority, bringing together the expertise and resources needed to deliver an event that will showcase Kenya's sporting heritage and establish a legacy for athletics across the continent.
“I was delighted to meet His Excellency President Ruto in his home city of Eldoret – the City of Champions – and reassured by his personal commitment to ensuring the delivery of a successful first World Championships in Africa,” said Coe.
“I have made no secret of my strong ambition and commitment for the World Championships to be awarded to a city on the continent, but we needed the right host, the right bid, the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment to supercharge the development of athletics in Kenya and across Africa – leaving a compelling legacy that inspires a continent.
“There are many factors determining a successful championship that Nairobi must deliver on and a major one is a full stadium, and so I call upon Kenya to uphold its stellar reputation for turning out in large numbers for our sport by having a sold-out stadium every night to create an electric atmosphere for our athletes.”
Ruto welcomed the opportunity to build on Kenya’s rich athletics heritage and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to delivering a successful event.
“Kenya appreciates the support from friends that led to the winning of the bid for hosting the 2029 World Athletics Championships,” he said.
“Kenya has a long history and heritage in athletics; many of its athletes are also legends in the sport. I give my personal commitment and that of the Government of Kenya to deploy all resources possible to ensure that the World Athletics Championships 2029 in Nairobi will be a huge success.
“All of the required obligations will be met,” he added. “The Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, is already undergoing major improvements for AFCON 2027, and will be further improved for the World Athletics Championships 2029.”
Coe, joined by World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon, also met Cabinet Secretary for Sports the Honourable Salim Mvurya, Athletics Kenya President and World Athletics Vice President Jackson Tuwei and Nairobi 29 Bid Committee Chair Ibrahim Hussein.
Nairobi's successful bid was built on its growing experience of hosting major international athletics events, including the World U18 Championships in 2017, the World U20 Championships in 2021 and the annual Kip Keino Classic. The ongoing redevelopment of Kasarani Stadium will provide a centrepiece for the 2029 championships.
Kenya is one of the sport's most successful nations, with a rich athletics heritage shaped by generations of Olympic and world champions, including Kip Keino, David Rudisha, Faith Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge.
That history is matched by an extraordinary level of public enthusiasm for the sport. World Athletics research has identified Kenya as the most athletics-engaged market surveyed globally, underlining the opportunity to build on that passion through the hosting of the championships.
The 2029 World Championships in Nairobi will follow the World Athletics Championships Beijing 27 and precede the 2031 edition in Munich, taking the sport's flagship event to three continents over three successive editions.
The historic first edition in Africa represents a major milestone in World Athletics' ambition to grow the sport globally, connect with new audiences and inspire future generations of athletes.
Report by World Athletics Media