On Tuesday next week, Africa will know whether or not the continent will welcome its first World Athletics Championships when track and field’s governing body unveils hosts of the 2029 and 2031 global competitions.
There has been intense, last-minute, discreet lobbying from the four cities bidding to host track and field’s biggest competition with Nairobi’s candidature being challenged by Rome, Munich and London.
According to procedure, before the World Athletics Council members vote, a dedicated Bid Evaluation Panel assesses the candidate cities using a series of metrics and financial/logistical guidelines. This panel - that has physically visited all four candidate cities - then presents a formal report and points to a preferred choice or recommendation to the Council.
Four Strong Bids
Nairobi’s Sh25 billion bid seeks to bring the senior global championships to the African continent for the very first time with the centre-piece being a refurbished Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, while 2017 host London, backed by a £45 million (Sh7.8 billion) public investment plan, is aiming to bring the event back to the London Stadium that also hosted the 2012 Olympic Games.
President William Ruto addresses the World Athletics Council during the virtual presentation of Nairobi's bid for the 2029/2031 World Athletics Championships on August 5. (Photo / Pura Vida Sports Africa)
Rome, hosts of the second edition World Championships back in 1987, seeks to leverage Italy’s rich athletics heritage and recent hosting experience of events such as the 2024 European Athletics Championships while Munich is eying a return of the global showpiece to Germany, building off the success of hosting the multi-sport European Championships in 2022 and riding on Berlin’s successful hosting of the World Championships on German soil in 2009.
The World Athletics’ Council has a busy working weekend lined up on the sidelines of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship being staged from Friday to Saturday here at Budapest’s iconic venue, the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre.
Virtual Press Conference
After the three days that will witness 28 Ultimate Championship finals, the 26-member World Athletics Council will retreat to the Budapest Dorothea Hotel - a 216-room hotel that reflects the city’s duality, combining historical elegance with modern vibrancy – for three days of critical boardroom sessions.
The Budapest Dorothea Hotel evokes Hungary’s golden age, inspired by the lasting influence of Archduchess Dorothea and Palatine Joseph, and as the World Athletics Council Members sample internationally acclaimed gastronomy blended with premium Hungarian ingredients and refined local flavors, and influenced by world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay's iconic restaurant concept, the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, they will be making critical decisions that will reverberate all the way to Kasarani.
The iconic Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, will be revamped to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Championships. (Photo / Pura Vida Sports Africa)
Nairobi, London, Rome and Munich are each hoping to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Championships and the announcement of the winning bids will not be made at a physical, public ceremony, but rather at an online Press Conference on Tuesday (September 15) from 11am to 12 noon, Budapest time (12 noon to 1pm, Kenyan time).
Of course, World Athletics President Seb Coe would not give the slightest of hints as to who are the frontrunners, choosing to leave it to the Council Members to decide.
“All four cats are very firmly and securely in the bag, Elias, and we have four great cities and they all have compelling stories and compelling bids. You’re going to have to wait a little bit longer to hear what the Council makes of the bids,” Coe, in neutrality, told Pura Vida Sports Africa in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
From Beijing to Beijing
Coe took over Presidency at the organisation’s 50th Congress in Beijing on August 19, 2015, garnering 115 votes against his rival, former pole vault world record holder Sergei Bubka’s 92, and will conclude his Presidency in Beijing on September 9, 2027, when the World Athletics elections are held, again in Beijing, on the sidelines of the World Championships.
World Athletics President Seb Coe during the interview with Pura Vida Sports Africa on Thursday in Budapest. (Photo / Elias Makori)
To his credit, Coe, a decorated World and Olympic champion, multiple world record holder and former British Member of Parliament, has eliminated the dirty lobbying, bribery and underhand deals that undermined the organisation’s name, leading to the dramatic jailing of his predecessor, Senegal’s Lamine Diack.
Diack was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended, fined €500,000 and due to his age and failing health, placed under house arrest in France before he later died in Dakar on December 3, 2021, aged 88.
Coe has since led a spirited drive to clean up the global track and field governing body’s image, most significantly rebranding it to ‘World Athletics’ from the tainted ‘International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) and leading a strategic commercial revamp, athlete-centred innovation and reduction of the President’s powers.
Strong Nairobi Bid
Nairobi has put up a strong, Sh25 billion bid to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Championships with President William Ruto pledging full support from his office.
“On behalf of the Republic of Kenya and the entire African continent, I extend our formal, unreserved commitment to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi. This bid carries the full weight, support, and pride of my office,” President Ruto said in his message to the World Athletics Council.
“Kenya is ready to absorb the financial and operational responsibilities required to deliver a world-class, modern tournament. Our government guarantees flawless immigration processes, expedited visa-on-arrival protocols for all delegates, and state-of-the-art security systems to ensure a safe, peaceful environment,” Ruto said.
Bid Committee Chairman’s Take
Nairobi Bid Committee Chairman Ibrahim Hussein holds a legendary place in athletics history as the first African to win both the New York City and Boston Marathons, a historic breakthrough that effectively kicked off decades of African dominance in global marathons.
Marathon journey: Nairobi's World Championships Bid Committee Chairman Ibrahim Hussein (left) and Kenya's International Olympic Committee Member Paul Tergat, both marathon legends, ahead of the virtual presentation of Nairobi's bid for the 2029/2031 World Championships on August 5. (Photo / Elias Makori)
Hussein emphasizes that after generations of Kenyan dominance on the track, the time has finally arrived for the global athletics family to trust Africa's leadership by giving Nairobi hosting rights for the 2029 or 2031 World Championships.
“Kenya has dominated global athletics for generations,” Hussein said during Nairobi’s virtual bid presentation to the World Athletics Council. “It’s now time for the world to bring the world championships to African soil for the very first time. I believe it’s our time. Trust our leaders. Trust our experience. Trust our passion. Choose Nairobi! Karibu Nairobi. Karibu Kenya. Karibu Africa.”
The continent of Africa is waiting with bated breath for the clock to tick 11am, Budapest time (12 noon, Kenyan time), when Coe will make the critical announcement on the winning bids for the 2029 and 2031 World Championships.
It is time for Africa. Or is it?
elias.makori@ymail.com
