With the 2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships underway in Jakarta, British Gymnastics has today unveiled its ambition to bring the prestigious global event back to Liverpool in 2030.

If successful, the bid would see one of the world’s biggest sporting events return to the UK, marking another milestone moment for British sport.

British Gymnastics is working closely with UK Sport, Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to develop a compelling proposal that builds on the huge success of previous home editions – notably Glasgow in 2015 and Liverpool in 2022.

The 2030 bid would once again see the event take place at the M&S Bank Arena, an athlete-focused venue offering world-class training, warm-up and competition facilities all under one roof, right in the heart of the city.

‘An opportunity to create a lasting and positive impact’

As Great Britain continues to cement its reputation as a world-leading gymnastics nation, hosting the event on home soil would offer a powerful platform to inspire the next generation and encourage more people to enjoy the benefits of gymnastics.

British Gymnastics says the event would play a central role in its ongoing mission to promote healthier, happier lives through sport – creating opportunities that extend far beyond the competition floor.

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.”

‘A world-leading destination for major sporting events’

Liverpool has established itself as a premier host city for major international events, earning widespread praise for its ability to deliver world-class experiences for both athletes and fans.

The 2022 World Championships in Liverpool were hailed as one of the best ever staged. International Gymnastics Federation President, Morinari Watanabe, famously remarked:

“The Beatles created a new music scene. Liverpool World Championships turned gymnastics from sport to entertainment. It is the start of a 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 city has since strengthened its reputation as a global events powerhouse, hosting the World Boxing Championships and the Eurovision Song Contest at the same M&S Bank Arena.

Economic and social boost for the region

A feasibility study suggests that hosting the 2030 World Championships could inject more than £8 million into the regional economy, while generating significant social impact and tourism value.

The event would also be broadcast to audiences in more than 50 countries, shining an international spotlight once again on Liverpool’s vibrant culture, community and sporting excellence.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.”

‘Continuing the momentum for women & girls sport’

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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