Africa at the World Athletics Championships: Nike’s Grip, On’s Entry, and a Global Stage

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3-Pointer: All eyes on brands in Tokyo

The World Athletics Championships kicked off in Tokyo yesterday. This moment is particular for us at #AfricaScores, as our very first post was published during the Championships in Budapest. With viewership soaring into the tens of millions in the past edition, the World Athletics Championships offer brands and athletes unmatched visibility and cultural resonance. Over 300 African athletes (60% men and 40% women) are in Tokyo to represent their countries across different event: the marathon is the single event with the most African athletes (45), followed by the 800m (22 athletes) and the 3000 steeplechase (21 athletes). Kenya (56 athletes), South Africa (48), and Ethiopia (36) are sending the continent’s largest delegations. Using our brand tracker, we conducted an analysis of the brands sponsoring our African athletes.

1. Nike’s dominance

Nike continues its stronghold on African athletics — according to our tracker nearly half of all African athletes in Tokyo are represented by the swoosh. This includes headliners like Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, and Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango, cementing Nike’s role as the continent’s most powerful sportswear partner.

2. On’s African bet

Swiss sportswear challenger On is making its move on the continent. After hiring Enda CEO & Founder Navalayo Osembo last January,  the brand recently inked a partnership with the Burundi Athletics Federation, the first significant step to carve a foothold in East Africa’s running culture.

3. Shifting tides & platform power

The World Athletics highlight both continuity and change: Nike’s grip remains firm, but new entrants like On show that Africa’s athletics sponsorship market is ripe for disruption. For African brands, this stage represents a unique opportunity. At the 2023 Budapest edition, broadcasts reached 28 million viewers in the opening weekend alone, with over 400,000 in-stadium fans from 120 countries. This scale of exposure offers African apparel brands a rare chance to position themselves on a truly global platform, tapping into both national pride and international visibility.

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