Published on September 15, 2026 by Kariuki Mwangi
Last Updated on 4 hours by Kariuki Mwangi
The National Olympics Committee of Kenya President Shadrack Maluki has assured the sporting world that, Kenya, a global powerhouse in sports is ready to welcome the world for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, this following the announcement by World Athletics that Nairobi has been selected to host the Global event in 2029.
And to cap it all, the announcement of Kenya’s successful bid to host World Senior Athletics Championships was made today, as President Maluki celebrated his birthday.
“Today is a special day for me as I celebrate my birthday and as the President of the National Olympics Committee, I am very happy to share this proud moment for with Kenyans as we, as a country have secured the bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.”
“This is more than winning a bid. It is a vote of confidence in Kenya’s sporting heritage, our athletes, our people and our ability to bring the world together through sport. We look forward to showcasing Kenya to the world and delivering a championship worthy of our great athletics nation. Kenya is ready.” President Maluki said.
Nairobi’s selection represents a landmark moment for athletics, bringing its biggest global event to Africa for the first time.
Maluki added that Kenya has continually developed its sporting infrustructure and fabric and the country’s top athletes continue to place the country on the global map, befitting the opportunity for home fans to celebrate their athletes, right here at home as they win medals and raise the nation’s flag high at home, just like it has flown high in foreign countries.
“It has always been a very proud moment for all of us when Kenyans win medals and our national anthem reverbarates through the stadiums in Europe, America and Asia. This will be a very special moment for Kenta to celebrate our athletes conquer the world, right here at home,” President Maluki added
Nairobi and Munich were today selected to host the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships, respectively, following one of the strongest bidding processes in the history of the sport’s flagship event.
The decision, made during the 242nd World Athletics Council Meeting in Budapest on Monday and Tuesday (14-15), means that the World Athletics Championships will be held on African soil for the first time ever, when the Kenyan capital Nairobi, stages the 2029 edition.
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.
“With this Council decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions.
“Nairobi and Munich ultimately presented two compelling propositions. They offer very different but equally exciting opportunities for our sport, and I am delighted that we can now begin working with both cities to stage two world-class championships.”
The championships will build on a growing record of successful World Athletics events staged across Africa. Nairobi staged the World U18 Championships in 2017 and the World U20 Championships in 2021.
Nairobi has established particularly strong credentials as a host city. Having previously bid to host the 2025 championships, awarded to Tokyo, Nairobi returned with an even stronger proposition for 2029, drawing on almost a decade of experience in staging major international athletics events.
The 2017 World U18 Championships demonstrated the extraordinary appetite for athletics in Kenya, with huge crowds packing the Kasarani Stadium throughout the competition. Nairobi has since established the Kip Keino Classic as one of Africa’s leading one-day meetings, with the event forming part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold since the tour was launched in 2020.
The strength of Kenya’s connection with athletics is also reflected in World Athletics fan research. Some 68% of Kenyan people surveyed rated their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39%, making Kenya the most athletics-interested market surveyed. Kenya has the highest net promoter score of any market, and athletics is the country’s second-most-followed sport, behind only football. Kenya is the fourth-highest country in terms of followers of World Athletics social media channels.
That passion is matched by sustained success at the highest level. Kenya is the second-most-successful nation in World Athletics Championships history and finished second on the medal table at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, winning seven gold medals and 11 medals in total.
“Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country, and athletes such as world gold medallists Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha, as well as two-time Olympic champion Kip Keino, multiple world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and multiple world half marathon champion Tegla Loroupe, have shaped the history of our sport,” Coe said.
“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.”
Maluki is a prominent Kenyan sports administrator who serves as the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK). He officially transitioned into this top role on July 21, 2025, succeeding distance running legend Paul Tergat.
Upon assuming the the highest Olympics office in Kenya, Maluki took his daunting task head on. After serving as first deputy president of the NOCK under Tergat, Maluki knew fron the first instance that his work was cut out. His was to step up to the challenge and make a change.
Maluki believes in leveraging sports for the benefit of the growth of the Olympic movement world wide.
Highly regarded for his transformative leadership in sports governance across Africa, Maluki prides himself for having led the Kenyan Olympics Movement with distinction over tha last year, as well as during his eight year tenure as the NOCK 1st deputy president under Tergat.
