Liverpool to bid to host Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2030

British Gymnastics has announced its ambition to bring the event back to Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena in 2030.

Should the bid be successful, the event would be one of the biggest global sporting events to be held in the UK that year.

The national governing body for gymnastics has been working with UK Sport, Liverpool City Council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to explore and develop a strong and compelling bid that builds on the outstanding success of previous editions Great Britain has hosted – notably the hugely successful World Championships in Glasgow in 2015 and Liverpool in 2022.

The bid will see the event staged once again at the M&S Bank Arena, which offers the perfect athlete centric location with training, warm up and competition all located within one site in the heart of Liverpool. 

With Great Britain continuing to develop as a leading gymnastics nation on the international stage, hosting the event in the UK will provide an opportunity to inspire and engage the next generation in gymnastics, and act as a key platform for the work British Gymnastics is doing to ensure gymnastics contributes to healthier, happier lives.

Sarah Powell, Chief Executive of British Gymnastics, said:

“The opportunity for any gymnast to compete in front of a passionate home crowd is something really special, and we’d love for our British team to be able to experience that in 2030 as part of their build up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics – there could not be a better host city for it than Liverpool. 

“We have seen with the women’s Rugby World Cup and the football Euros that hosting major events can harness the nation’s passion and be a catalyst for greater impact. So, this World Championships bid is a chance to achieve so much more and have a lasting impact far beyond the week of incredible sporting drama that will unfold in the arena itself.

“Gymnastics is a foundation sport that gives hundreds of thousands of children and young people of all backgrounds and abilities that first introduction to being active and learning how their bodies can move. It’s potential to shape the future of the nation as an active, happy and healthy one is huge, and that that’s why it’s so important we use Liverpool 2030 to drive that positive impact of our sport even further.

“At the heart of this bid is an ambition to connect the World Championships with gymnastics clubs, schools and leisure centres in communities across the UK in the build up to 2030 and beyond. We want to work together with everyone to inspire and encourage people of all ages to enjoy the many amazing benefits gymnastics provides.”

Great Britain, and Liverpool in particular, is known as a world leader in staging gymnastics events, with a track record of delivering exceptional competitions.  The Liverpool 2022 World Championships was widely regarded by gymnasts and fans alike as the best championships ever staged, while International Gymnastics Federation President, Morinari Watanabe hailed the event saying “The Beatles created a new music scene. Liverpool World Championships turned gymnastics from sports to entertainment this time. It is the start of the new gymnastics scene.”

Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, said:

“Liverpool has proven time and time again that we are a city which excels in hosting world-class events which leave a lasting legacy. The 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships brought in £5.6 million to our local economy and welcomed over 35,000 spectators – showcasing our unique ability to blend elite sport with culture and community. We’re proud to work with British Gymnastics in this bid, and excited by the potential to once again welcome the world to our city in 2030.”

The previous championships in 2022 demonstrated to the world the city’s credentials as a world leading destination for major sporting events, creating an exhilarating experience for all.  The bid comes quickly on the heels of the highly successful World Boxing Championships and the Eurovision Song Contest, both staged at the M&S Bank Arena.

A feasibility study has been completed which projects that if the championships were to return in 2030 the regional economy could see a boost of over £8 million, while delivering many millions more in social impact and tourism value. The event would be broadcast globally across more than 50 countries, and extensively in the UK.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:

“From the spectacle of Eurovision to preparations for Euro 2028, the Liverpool City Region has shown time and again that when we throw our hat in the ring, we also throw our heart into every event we host. We welcome more than 60 million visitors each year, and with a booming visitor economy worth £6.25 billion, we’ve proven that we’re an unbeatable destination for global set piece occasions – with the culture, hospitality, and transport to match. With our track record, bringing the World Championships back to Liverpool in 2030 would be another fitting showcase of a world class event in a world class region.”

A successful bid to host the 2030 championships will also build on the continuing elevation in profile of women’s sport across the UK. As a sport, gymnastics makes a particular contribution to helping to get more women and girls active, engaging hundreds of thousands of young girls every year in physical activity, providing them with the foundations to go on to enjoy an active and healthy life.  Alongside that, gymnastics is also one of the few sports that attracts a majority of female fans, whether watching on TV or attending the event in person.

Esther Britten, Head of Major Events at UK Sport, said:

“This country is world-leading in its commitment to giving women’s sport the platform it rightly deserves. Hosting the World Championships will play an important role in demonstrating this into the next decade and is an important reason why we are committed to supporting the bid.

“We also believe this event will successfully build on its predecessors to continue to move forward the diversity and inclusion agenda by creating career defining opportunities within the World Championships for diverse groups of people.”

A formal bid submission for the 2030 World Championships will be made by British Gymnastics, Liverpool City Council and UK Sport to the FIG in December, with a decision on the host country being made in May 2026. The bid is also supported by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, ACC Liverpool Group (operators of M&S Bank Arena) and Liverpool Accommodation BID.

Sports fans won’t need to wait until 2030 to see Britain’s top artistic gymnasts performing on home soil however – the 2026 Artistic British Championships will once again be staged at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in March, with tickets for the event having gone on general sale this week.

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