© Wayne McCoy

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, 14 May 2018: Liverpool (GBR) will host the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2022. The FIG Council, at its meeting in Istanbul (TUR) on 11-12 May, voted to award this 51st edition of the Worlds to British Gymnastics.

The FIG’s decision sends the World Championships back to Great Britain seven years after a memorable 2015 edition in Glasgow, which marked a turning point in the event’s presentation. The Worlds will run from 28 October to 6 November 2022 at the Echo Arena, a venue which has been hosting the British Championships since 2012.

“The Glasgow Worlds became, for the FIG, a reference point for the staging of Gymnastics. The bid that British Gymnastics presented us is promising another great event in a city with a real love for the sport, and this is something for us to celebrate,” said Morinari Watanabe, the FIG President.

“We are delighted Liverpool has been selected to host the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. What an exciting year it’s going to be with the 2022 Commonwealth Games also taking place on home soil. The World Championships should be a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games so expect to see the World’s absolute best at Liverpool 2022 including many international Olympic stars,” said Jane Allen, CEO of British Gymnastics.

It was at the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club that Elizabeth Tweddle came through to become the first British world champion in Artistic Gymnastics. Tweddle, the most successful British female gymnast, with a bronze medal from the London Olympics and three world titles, provided her support for the Liverpool bid.

“I’m thrilled to see this prestigious event coming to my home town. That would have inspired me so much as a young gymnast. To see the World’s best competing in my own town is just fantastic. Spectators are in for a treat and I know Liverpool will give all visitors a very warm welcome,” she said.

There will be three editions of the World Championships before Liverpool. This year’s Worlds take place in Doha (QAT) between 25 October and 3 November, while Stuttgart (GER) will host the 2019 Worlds, from 4-13 October, and Copenhagen (DEN) the 2021 edition, from 18-24 October that year.