Lack of a proper stadium was the biggest contributing factor to Kenya not hosting the World Championship slated for 2025,  World Athletics President Sebastian Lord Coe has revealed.

Speaking in an interview with Ghanian journalist Muftawu Nabila at the just concluded Oregon championships, Coe said the council had expressed concerns over the refurbishment, time frame, and cost implications of Moi Stadium, Kasarani. 

Despite the reservations, Kenya has successfully hosted major athletics events in recent years, including the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, the 2017 World Athletics Under 18 Championships in Nairobi, and the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi.

Kenya has also successfully hosted the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Gold Tour event, for three consecutive years and the Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour which took place in Eldoret in February this year.

This now means that Africa will have to wait longer to host the most prestigious athletics event in the world.

“We had four strong bids but there were challenges around the stadia refurbishment and the time for Kasarani to be ready for the world event,” noted Coe

Tokyo got the nod for the event in 2025 over Nairobi, Singapore, and Chozow, Poland when the world governing body announced the host city last week.

Tokyo was selected after scoring the highest in the bid evaluation that focused on four areas namely; a powerful narrative, revenue-generating opportunities for WA, enhancement of the international profile of the sport and an appropriate climate.

Coe said all the bid cities were spectacular and had every reason to bid but Tokyo emerged the winner in the competitive process.

The other candidates for the event were, Silesia and Singapore, all of which were deemed strong enough and experienced enough to host the event. 

The Council sitting in Oregon also handed the 2024 World Cross Country Championships to Pula and Medulin in Croatia, with Florida,US being awarded hosting rights for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships.