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Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, bringing the sport's flagship global event to Africa for the first time, World Athletics said Tuesday.
The Kenyan capital in East Africa was selected by the World Athletics Council after a two-day meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
The council also awarded the 2031 championships to Munich, Germany, which prevailed over rival bids from London and Rome. The German city will host the event two years after Nairobi.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the four candidate cities had shown strong ambition. "The quality, ambition and commitment demonstrated by all four candidates underline the strength and global appeal of the World Athletics Championships," he said.
"Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic," he added.
Nairobi plans to stage the championships at Kasarani Stadium, which is being renovated and has a capacity of around 48,000 spectators.
Kenya, the second-most successful country in World Athletics Championships history, has previously hosted several major international competitions.
The coastal city of Mombasa staged the World Cross Country Championships in 2007, while Nairobi hosted the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships in 2021, both held at Kasarani Stadium.
Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Salim Mvurya, said the country would continue developing its athletics programs.
"We accept this honor and want to promise the global community that Kenya will continue to be a home of champions in matters of athletics," he said.
The selection marks another step for Africa in hosting major international sporting events. Senegal is set to stage the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, while Morocco is due to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Munich's selection means Germany will host the World Athletics Championships for a third time, following Stuttgart in 1993 and Berlin in 2009. Germany's Minister of State for Sport and Volunteering, Ronald Rauhe, said the event should have an impact beyond elite competition.
"We want to create an impact that reaches beyond the stadium," he said, adding that the championships should encourage young people to believe in their potential.
Beijing will stage the next World Athletics Championships in 2027, before the competition moves to Nairobi in 2029 and returns to Europe for Munich in 2031.
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