London misses out to Nairobi in World Athletics bid

London has missed out to Nairobi in the bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

The decision, which means an African city will host the event for the first time, was confirmed at a World Athletics council meeting in Budapest.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Nairobi had presented "a compelling and emotional bid".

"We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the council," said Coe.

"With this decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions.

"Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic.

"It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment."

The London Stadium, home of Championship club West Ham United, was the proposed host venue for the UK bid.

The stadium was also used for the 2012 Olympic Games and the yearly London Diamond League, and also when the city last hosted the Worlds in 2017.

The UK's bid was led by Athletic Ventures, which consisted of UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company.

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of Athletic Ventures, said: "We are deeply disappointed that the 2029 World Athletics Championships will not be held in London. We believed we had an outstanding bid which would genuinely take the sport to new levels.

"We would like to thank the Government, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and UK Sport for their fantastic support for our bid. Our thanks also to the London Stadium, West Ham United and our many stakeholders for their commitment and hard work to put the bid together.

"Our congratulations go to Nairobi and we wish the organising committee all the best for a great event in 2029."

Rome was the other city to miss out, as World Athletics also confirmed that Munich would host the 2031 event for the first time.

Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, submitted a bid for the 2025 championships but missed out to Tokyo.

The city's Kasarani Stadium is being renovated before the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2027, which strengthened its case as a host venue.

Kenya finished second in the medal table at the 2025 edition, winning seven gold medals and 11 in total.

This is a painful snub for London, so why did it fail?

Those behind the bid had secured £45m in public money, and were confident of replicating the commercial success of the 2017 event.

However, there had been uncertainty over whether West Ham would grant permission for the London Stadium to be used. That was finally confirmed last month, but only shortly before the bid had to be formally submitted.

Another issue may have been the fact that nearly 10,000 seats were empty at Birmingham's 23,000-seater Alexander Stadium for the European Athletics Championships last month, with some fans blaming the cost of tickets.

Lord Coe has refused to be drawn on whether either were factors in the decision, preferring instead to focus on Kenya's rich tradition in distance running, and the fact Nairobi will make history by hosting Africa's first world championships. However, the spate of doping scandals in Kenyan athletics in recent years will also lead to some scrutiny over whether it is an appropriate host.

Britain is still hosting the Grand Depart of the men's and women's Tour de France cycling races in 2027, and then the men's Euros in 2028, and is bidding for the 2035 Women's World Cup. But at a time when government is also interested in a possible Olympic bid for 2040, today's decision is undoubtedly a blow.

World indoor 400m champion and British record holder Amber Anning was in the stands as a fan for the 2017 championships, and although she expressed her disappointment to miss out on the experience of a home event as an athlete, added that Nairobi was a chance for something "really special".

"There was a lot of disappointment, honestly," Anning told BBC Sport.

"That was our dream. In 2017, I saw that we have the best crowds, the best atmosphere. So I would say it is a bit unfortunate that we weren't able to get the bid.

"But seeing how Botswana was for the World Relays this year, I think it will be really special to have it in Africa for the first time. It's going to leave a legacy, so while it was not the result we wanted, it's still a chance for another country and another generation to inspire. It's an honour."

Greg Rutherford, who memorably won Olympic gold in the long jump as part of Super Saturday at the London 2012 Games, echoed Anning's sentiments.

Rutherford said it was a "bitter pill to swallow" for London to miss out but praised the strength of Nairobi's bid and highlighted the need for change.

"We've seen over the years how well we can put on these incredible championships - 2017 was massive, record amounts of people through the doors, bums on seats watching some amazing performances," Rutherford told BBC Sport.

"We also saw that in 2012 but at the same time, we are seeing something that is going to change the lay of the land.

"Of course there is real disappointment but equally, it's going to be incredible to finally see this event in Africa.

"I think what may have harmed it [London's bid] is that we had hosted one so recently, and Nairobi's bid was a very strong one. They are looking to invest into Africa so there is more chance for their nations to have the opportunity like this going forward and I do think we need to see change at times."