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Bernard Cheruiyot
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World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe speaks during a press conference alongside Athletics Kenya (AK) president Lt. Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei at the AK Headquarters in Nairobi on March 5, 2025. Photo/Kelly Ayodi /Sportpicha
Kenya will officially submit her bid to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships during this yearโs edition of the global event in Tokyo, Athletics Kenya (AK) president Jackson Tuwei has confirmed.
Speaking during Team Kenyaโs flag-off ceremony by President William Ruto at State House on Wednesday, Tuwei said the country had finalized preparing the bid and was ready to present her case to World Athletics.
โThank you very much President Ruto for allowing us to have a bid to host the World Championships here in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2029 or 2031,โ Tuwei said.
โWe have already prepared the bid documents, and we are going to present them when we go to Tokyo. After that, we will follow it up because there are requirements that we need to meet,โ he added.
In turn, President Ruto pledged full government backing for the bid, with a focus on upgrading sporting infrastructure.
โWe've just concluded among the biggest sports events in our region, the CHAN, which have given us an opportunity to host a regional championship. The last time we did that was about 38 years ago. And I want to tell you Tuwei that CS Mvurya will be there to present our bid to host the world championships in Kenya in 2029.โ
If successful, Kenya would become the first African country to host the biennial global championship.
Kenyaโs announcement comes as the World Athletics bidding deadline looms with interested nations having until October 1, 2025, to submit their bid documents for consideration. The 2027 edition will be staged in Beijing, China.
โMember federations and host institution stakeholders interested in hosting or receiving more information about staging either of these events should consult the World Athletics Championships 2029 and 2031 bid guide and then complete and return the bid pre-qualification form,โ World Athletics stated in June.
This would be a landmark moment for Kenyan athletics, particularly after Nairobi lost its bid for the 2025 edition to Tokyo.
Tuwei said a lack of infrastructure was the biggest obstacle at the time, but was confident Kenya would present a successful bid thanks to the current massive stadia renovations in the country.
Kenyaโs current biggest stadiums Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and Nyayo National Stadiumโhave undergone massive refurbishment and successfully staged the just concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024) finals.
Kasaraniโs temporary astro-turf will be replaced with a tartan running track to meet World Athletics standards.
Athletics Kenya has assembled a technical team to lead the process, spearheaded by former Boston Marathon champion Ibrahim Kipkemboi Hussein.
ยฉCitizen Digital, Kenya
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- Speaking during Team Kenyaโs flag-off ceremony by President William Ruto at State House on Wednesday, Tuwei said the country had finalized preparing the bid and was ready to present her case to World Athletics.
World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe speaks during a press conference alongside Athletics Kenya (AK) president Lt. Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei at the AK Headquarters in Nairobi on March 5, 2025. Photo/Kelly Ayodi /Sportpicha
Kenya will officially submit her bid to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships during this yearโs edition of the global event in Tokyo, Athletics Kenya (AK) president Jackson Tuwei has confirmed.
Speaking during Team Kenyaโs flag-off ceremony by President William Ruto at State House on Wednesday, Tuwei said the country had finalized preparing the bid and was ready to present her case to World Athletics.
โThank you very much President Ruto for allowing us to have a bid to host the World Championships here in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2029 or 2031,โ Tuwei said.
โWe have already prepared the bid documents, and we are going to present them when we go to Tokyo. After that, we will follow it up because there are requirements that we need to meet,โ he added.
In turn, President Ruto pledged full government backing for the bid, with a focus on upgrading sporting infrastructure.
โWe've just concluded among the biggest sports events in our region, the CHAN, which have given us an opportunity to host a regional championship. The last time we did that was about 38 years ago. And I want to tell you Tuwei that CS Mvurya will be there to present our bid to host the world championships in Kenya in 2029.โ
If successful, Kenya would become the first African country to host the biennial global championship.
Kenyaโs announcement comes as the World Athletics bidding deadline looms with interested nations having until October 1, 2025, to submit their bid documents for consideration. The 2027 edition will be staged in Beijing, China.
โMember federations and host institution stakeholders interested in hosting or receiving more information about staging either of these events should consult the World Athletics Championships 2029 and 2031 bid guide and then complete and return the bid pre-qualification form,โ World Athletics stated in June.
This would be a landmark moment for Kenyan athletics, particularly after Nairobi lost its bid for the 2025 edition to Tokyo.
Tuwei said a lack of infrastructure was the biggest obstacle at the time, but was confident Kenya would present a successful bid thanks to the current massive stadia renovations in the country.
Kenyaโs current biggest stadiums Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and Nyayo National Stadiumโhave undergone massive refurbishment and successfully staged the just concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024) finals.
Kasaraniโs temporary astro-turf will be replaced with a tartan running track to meet World Athletics standards.
Athletics Kenya has assembled a technical team to lead the process, spearheaded by former Boston Marathon champion Ibrahim Kipkemboi Hussein.
ยฉCitizen Digital, Kenya
Continue reading...
