Nairobi will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships after World Athletics selected the Kenyan capital to stage the competition.
The championships will be held in September 2029 and will bring athletes, officials, media, broadcasters and other accredited personnel to the city.
World Athletics has set specific requirements for cities seeking to host the championships.
They cover the main stadium, warm-up facilities, training venues, road-race courses, accommodation, transport access, technical facilities, the World Athletics Congress and event testing.
Stadium and Competition Facilities
The main stadium must have a minimum capacity of 30,000 spectators and must hold a World Athletics Class 1 Athletics Facility Certificate.
The stadium must provide the facilities required for international track and field competition.
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These include a call room where athletes assemble before events, a mixed zone for media interviews, a post-event area, a photo-finish room, a data-processing area, a medal-ceremony area and a doping-control station.
Other required areas include a Technical Information Center, rest areas for combined-events athletes, storage areas for timing and data-processing equipment, sports-equipment storage and rooms for technical delegates.
The competition venue must also have systems to display results and provide information to spectators and athletes.
World Athletics regulations require electronic scoreboards, video boards, and public-address and event-presentation sound systems.
The stadium must also accommodate the technical operations needed to record and process competition results.
Warm-Up and Training Facilities
Nairobi must provide a separate warm-up facility for athletes.
The warm-up track must measure 400 meters and have at least six lanes.
The warm-up facility should ideally be within easy walking distance of the main stadium.
Its track surface should use the same surface product as the competition track.
The warm-up area must also include a separate facility for long throws.
The host must provide additional training areas and facilities for athletes.
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These facilities must support training for all events and must be located at a reasonable distance from the official team hotels.
Hotels and Accommodation
The official hotel must be a high-quality tourist hotel rated four stars or higher and have accommodation and meeting-room facilities.
World Athletics’ bid requirements set the following approximate accommodation figures: 600 beds for the World Athletics Family for 19 nights; 3,250 beds for teams for 13 nights, with a minimum three-star standard; 340 beds for Congress delegates for 15 nights, with a minimum four-star standard; 300 beds for partners for 11 nights, also at least four stars; 2,000 beds for media for 12 nights, with two- and three-star options allowed; and 150 beds for suppliers and service providers for 20 nights, with a minimum three-star standard.
The Local Organizing Committee must provide a shortlist of hotels for the World Athletics Family and partners, athletes and team officials, media, the host broadcaster, other broadcasters, technical suppliers and service providers.
World Athletics Congress and Test Event
The World Athletics Congress is held every two years during the World Athletics Championships.
It is the sport’s highest authority and consists of 214 Member Federations, with up to three delegates from each federation.
Nairobi’s Local Organizing Committee must identify a suitable Congress location and assist with local logistics.
The host must also organize a test event between one year and four months before the championships.
For a September 2029 event, this means the test event must fall within the period from September 2028 to May 2029.
World Athletics also requires the host to provide the technical systems and operational services needed for the competition.
These include timing, photo finish, results and data processing, athlete information, venue information, media and broadcast facilities, accreditation, medical services and anti-doping operations.
World Athletics said Nairobi’s successful bid included financial guarantees and a renovated Kasarani Stadium.
The stadium is undergoing a complete structural overhaul ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, two years before the World Championships.
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