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Kenya: Why Kenya’s Bid to Host 2025 World Championships Looks Promising

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4 years ago

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The ongoing construction of the Expressway and the Jamhuri Sports Complex are some of the key factors Kenya has used in their effort to win the bid to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei disclosed that good infrastructure that include transport system and training venues are some of the key factors that World Athletics Council will explore before awarding the rights.

“Traffic in Nairobi has always been a major concern but the completion of the Expressway from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport through to Waiyaki Way will be key to our bid,” said Tuwei after Kenya officially presented its bid to host the world event to World Athletics on Friday last week.

Tuwei noted that besides the main arena of the event, the bidding countries are required to have more than two venues with international standard track for athletes to train.

Tuwei said that besides the Nyayo National Stadium, the completion of the Jamhuri Park Sports Complex along Ngong Road and the Kirigiti Stadium, Kiambu County is crucial for their bid.

“We want them built to the required international standards that include the modern tartan track with eight lanes,” said Tuwei. “These training venues or warm up tracks are needed closer to the main competition arena and the three are within the radius required.”

Tuwei said the six-lane track at Kenyatta University that is part of the World Under-18 and Under-20 legacy, has also been factored adding that the track at Kasarani will be overhauled if necessary.

The track was laid in 2017 and given a life span of between seven to 10 years.

Tuwei said that he is grateful to the government for successfully facilitating the staging of the World Athletics Under-18 Championships in 2017 and the World Under-20 Championships this year.

“With lessons learnt from these two world events, Kenya has built the capacity and is confident and ready to host the next event,” explained Tuwei after completing the second phase of the process by presenting the bid.

Tuwei said the event has never been to Africa hence time is ripe for the continent to have a share of the top athletics celebrations right in Nairobi.

Tuwei said Kenya’s bid will move to the third phase when the selection panel from World Athletics will visit the country early next year for an inspection before presenting its report to the World Athletics Council.