Photo via BBC Sport

African greats inspired by the potential of Nairobi 2029

Prominent African sporting figures have voiced strong optimism following the selection of Nairobi to stage the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Retired 2007 world 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei, currently coaching, noted that the three-year runway will keep promising juniors intensely driven toward competing on home soil.

Continental 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala, who drew personal inspiration when the city staged the 2017 Under-18 World Championships, emphasized that watching global competitors directly will motivate emerging talents. Fellow athletes Julius Yego and 53-year-old Haile Gebrselassie both highlighted that this landmark decision proves Africa's capacity to stage marquee sports fixtures, including potential Olympic bids, pointing to other regional hubs such as Addis Ababa or Lagos as future hosts.

The 2029 competition arrives amid a sequence of premier sporting events across the continent. Action begins with the Youth Olympics in Dakar from October 31 to November 13, followed next year by the men's Cricket World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Morocco will then welcome back the men's FIFA World Cup in 2030 alongside Spain and Portugal, marking its first continental appearance since South Africa in 2010, while both Egypt and South Africa retain ambitions to secure the 2036 Olympic Games.