Could Nairobi make history? Kenya wants to bring the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the very first time.

Kenya has officially thrown its hat in the ring to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, and if it pulls it off, it would be a historic first for the continent.

Nairobi is up against some serious heavyweights, with rival bids from London, Rome and Munich. A final decision by World Athletics is expected next month.

Athletics Kenya says its bid is robust and fully backed by the government, presenting what it calls a compelling case to finally bring the sport's flagship event to Africa.

"The government has committed its full support to the bid, ensuring the necessary organisational framework, security measures and modern infrastructure required to host a world-class global showpiece," the federation said in a statement shared with cbinews.tv.

Cbinews.tv reports that the 48,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium, officially the Moi International Sports Centre, would be the intended venue.

And frankly, there is no nation more deserving on athletics pedigree alone.

Kenya has a long and decorated history in athletics, particularly middle and long-distance running, that stretches back to Kipchoge Keino's gold in the 1,500m at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

Since then, Kenya has amassed 72 World Championship gold medals and 38 Olympic gold medals. Seventeen current world records are held by Kenyans across track and road events, including both the men's and women's marathons, held by the late Kelvin Kiptum and Ruth Chepngetich.

At last year's World Championships in Tokyo, Kenya finished second on the overall medal table, behind only the United States, with seven golds among 11 podium finishes.

This is not Kenya's first attempt. It bid for the 2025 World Championships but lost out to Tokyo. That edition was always going to be tough to win, but 2029 feels different.

World Athletics has been openly keen to take its biggest events to new frontiers. Africa is the only continent never to have hosted the World Championships since the event began in Helsinki in 1983.

In contrast, Asia has hosted it four times and even South America got its turn when Brazil hosted the Olympics in 2016.

Kenya does have a solid hosting CV to point to. It successfully staged the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017, and the World Under-20 Championships in the capital in 2021. Nairobi also hosted the 2010 African Athletics Championships at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The timing could be perfect. Kenya is set to co-host next year's Africa Cup of Nations football tournament alongside neighbours Tanzania and Uganda, its biggest ever multi-nation sports event.

And there is fresh momentum for athletics on the continent. In May, Botswana became the first African nation to host the World Athletics Relays when they took place in Gaborone, proving that world-class track events can thrive in Africa.

For Kenya, winning the rights to 2029 would be more than just a sporting coup; it would be a powerful homecoming for a sport that Africa has defined for decades.

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