Munich Hopes to Host 2029 World Athletics Championships as German Stars Back Bid

Germany’s leading athletes want to bring the World Athletics Championships back to the country, and Munich’s Olympic Stadium is their preferred stage. The city is seeking the 2029 or 2031 event, with a decision from World Athletics expected in September.

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Munich 2029 would of course be the dream. That would be really cool.

Decathlon world and European champion Leo Neugebauer called a Munich 2029 championships “the dream.” He said athletics already has a strong profile in Germany and appears to be growing in popularity.

Niklas Kaul also supports a 2029 event. The Mainz-born decathlete would be 31 and said he could still compete at that age. Munich’s Olympic Stadium carries personal significance for him because he won the European title there four years ago.

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I would of course really, really like Munich 2029, because I would still be at an age when I could do it.

Sprinter Gina Lückenkemper said she had actively supported the bid, including by delivering a 10-minute presentation to the World Athletics commission. She last competed at a major home event in Munich during the European Championships four years ago, when fans and athletes filled the venues.

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I have done a lot for this bid and actually gave a 10-minute presentation to the World Athletics commission, because I definitely support bringing the championships back to Germany.

Munich’s rivals include London and Nairobi. A Nairobi victory would give Africa its first senior World Athletics Championships. Germany last hosted the championships in Berlin in 2009, remembered for Usain Bolt’s world-record performances in the 100 and 200 meters. Lückenkemper said a men’s sprint world record in Germany 20 years later would make a 2029 home event especially memorable.

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How cool would it be if we saw a sprint world record in the men’s event in Germany 20 years later?