London misses out to Nairobi in World Athletics bid
London misses out to Nairobi in World Athletics bid. Skip to content World Athletics Championships: London misses out as Nairobi secures 2029 event | 'We are deeply disappointed' The 2029 World Athletics Championships will be held in Nairobi, Kenya; it will be the first time the event has taken place in Africa; London's bid was unsuccessful, with UK Athletics CEO Jack Buckner saying: "We had an outstanding bid which would genuinely take the sport to new levels" Tuesday 15 September 2026 15:56, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player World Athletics President Lord Coe explains why they have awarded the World Championships to Nairobi and Munich with London missing out.
What happened
London has lost to Nairobi in Kenya in its bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029, while the 2031 event will be held in Munich. The World Athletics Championships are heading to Africa for the first time after Kenya's capital Nairobi was confirmed as host of the 2029 edition, with London missing out. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The London Stadium hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2017ByFfion WynneBBC Sport JournalistPublished15 September 2026, 10:39 BSTUpdated 4 hours agoLondon has missed out to Nairobi in the bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
"Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of Athletic Ventures, said: "We are deeply disappointed that the 2029 World Athletics Championships will not be held in London. " Image: Seb Coe, president of World Athletics, confirmed the decision to take the 2029 championships to Nairobi Nairobi's selection represents a landmark moment for athletics, bringing its biggest global event to Africa for the first time. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Nairobi had presented "a compelling and emotional bid".
"Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic.
The wider picture
"Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: "The Mayor is disappointed that London will not host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Faith Kipyegon has won five World Championship titles and three Olympic gold medals for KenyaByCelestine KaroneyBBC Sport Africa, NairobiPublished7 hours agoKenya will become the first African country to host the World Athletics Championships after winning the bid for the 2029 edition. Kenya's bid also highlighted its experience of hosting major athletics events, including the 2017 World Under-18 and 2021 World U20 Championships in Nairobi and the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon completed a Kenyan 1-2 in the women's 5000m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, where Kenya won seven gold medals to finish second in the medal tableByRob StevensBBC Sport AfricaPublished8 minutes agoKenya's President William Ruto says the World Athletics Championship will be "coming home", with Nairobi set to make history after being selected as the first African city to host the event in 2029. Kenya has successfully hosted age-grade events in Nairobi and the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, while the World Athletics Relays were held in Botswana's capital Gaborone in May.
World Athletics generated $522m in revenue from Tokyo 2025, with a total of 619,000 tickets sold over the nine days of competition, while London sold a record 705,000 tickets in 2017. "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 as he announced the decision following the Ultimate Championship in Hungary. Latest Sky Sports deals or stream F1 with no contract 📺"The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underlines the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships.
What has been reported
"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. The decision, which means an African city will host the event for the first time, was confirmed at a World Athletics council meeting in Budapest. "With this 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.
The stadium was also used for the 2012 Olympic Games and the yearly London Diamond League, and also when the city last hosted the Worlds in 2017. The UK's bid was led by Athletic Ventures, which consisted of UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company. "Rome was the other city to miss out, as World Athletics also confirmed that Munich would host the 2031 event for the first time. Lord Coe has refused to be drawn on whether either were factors in the decision, preferring instead to focus on Kenya's rich tradition in distance running, and the fact Nairobi will make history by hosting Africa's first world championships.
But at a time when government is also interested in a possible Olympic bid for 2040, today's decision is undoubtedly a blow. 'That was my dream' World indoor 400m champion and British record holder Amber Anning was in the stands as a fan for the 2017 championships, and although she expressed her disappointment to miss out on the experience of a home event as an athlete, added that Nairobi was a chance for something "really special".
What happens next
Rutherford said it was a "bitter pill to swallow" for London to miss out but praised the strength of Nairobi's bid and highlighted the need for change. "I think what may have harmed it [London's bid] is that we had hosted one so recently, and Nairobi's bid was a very strong one. Their selection means that the World Athletics Championships will be held in Africa for the first time ever in what is a landmark moment for athletics.
"London remains the sporting capital of the world, and the Mayor will continue working to bring more of the world's biggest events to our city. Kenya's rich athletics heritage was central to its bid for 2029, with the East African nation boasting 72 World Championship and 38 Olympic gold medals, predominantly in middle- and long-distance running. It is the second-most successful nation in the history of the World Championships, and two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who also won 5000m gold at the 2003 World Championships, was among those who made the case for Nairobi during the bid process.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe described that bid as "compelling and emotional".
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across skysports.com, bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.