The English city of Liverpool has been awarded hosting rights for the 2022 edition of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
The event will take place from October 28 to November 6 at the city’s Echo Arena. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) voted on the hosting rights during its recent Council meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Echo Arena has been hosting the British Championships since 2012. The 2022 event will mark the first time the UK has staged the World Championships since Glasgow in Scotland played host in 2015.
FIG president Morinari Watanabe said: “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.”
British Gymnastics chief executive Jane Allen added: “What an exciting year it's going to be with the 2022 Commonwealth Games also taking place on home soil (in Birmingham). 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.”
This year’s World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar from October 25 to November 3. The event will then travel to Stuttgart in Germany next year, with the Danish capital of Copenhagen to stage the 2021 edition before Liverpool hosts the following year. The event will not take place in 2020, an Olympic Games year. Montreal in Canada hosted the 2017 Championships.
