World Athletics awards 2029 World Championships to Nairobi, prompting widespread celebration

World Athletics awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships to Nairobi on Tuesday morning, sparking widespread celebration across Africa as the event will be held in the Kenyan capital in three years' time.

Faith Kipyegon, who has won 1500m gold at the past three editions of the World Championships and is 32 years old, was mentioned as a potential absentee for 2029 amid the announcement that Nairobi beat London and Rome to secure the hosting rights; the event will be the first time the championships are staged in Africa. The globe's top athletes are due to compete at the 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium, which is undergoing redevelopment ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, and World Athletics survey data shows 68% of people from Kenya rated their interest in athletics as high.

Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie congratulated the whole continent on the "wonderful news" and said he expected the atmosphere inside Kasarani to be "very different." Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic 10,000m champion, added: "This is something very big in front of your people, in front of your city." He also said: "Many spectators can fly to Nairobi, many people can watch their athletes. It's going to be wonderful. I myself will be there to watch."

Julius Yego, the 2015 javelin world champion, described winning the bid as "a huge thing for Africa" and said: "I'm so happy that the world will come to Kenya." The 37-year-old said: "Africa has produced the best of athletes but we've never had a chance to witness such a big championship. It is something that will bring people to Africa. And people will know Africa."

Janeth Jepkosgei, who won the women's 800m title at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka and has since moved into coaching, called the decision "really exciting" for young athletes. She said: "It means a lot for the youth and the juniors because it makes the dream really big," adding: "This is the time where the youth and juniors should begin dreaming of winning at home." Jepkosgei also told her athletes: "It has come home, we have to be there, on that starting line."

Ferdinand Omanyala, the 30-year-old holder of the African 100m record, said hosting the championships had "always been a dream" and recalled being inspired by Nairobi hosting the Under-18 World Championships in 2017. He said: "I can imagine what this is going to do to up-and-coming athletes. They're going to see all these stars coming into the country and they'll be having this chance to watch them warm up and compete. That will be a huge motivation."

Officials and athletes noted Africa will host several major events over the coming years, including the Youth Olympics in Dakar from 31 October to 13 November and next year's men's Cricket World Cup hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, while the men's Fifa World Cup will return to the continent in 2030 when Morocco co-hosts alongside Spain and Portugal. Julius Yego urged long-term ambition for the continent, saying: "As Africans, we need to think big and plan ahead and think 'Yes, it is possible for Africa to host a championship like the World Championships'." Haile Gebrselassie added: "This is a big chance, not only in sport, in economy, politics. Now Africans can do anything they want," and asked rhetorically: "If Nairobi can host this championship, why not Addis Ababa? Why not Lagos or South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda?"

The 2029 World Athletics Championships are scheduled to take place at the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi in three years' time.