Monday 23 May 2011
Glasgow has been selected as the host city for the 2015 World Gymnastic Championships, bringing the event to Scotland for the very first time.
The decision by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) follows a joint bid between British Gymnastics, Glasgow City Council, EventScotland and UK Sport. Glasgow beat off tough competition from Paris (France) and Orlando (USA) to win the right to host the prestigious event.
The 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be one of the largest sporting events ever to be held in Glasgow with an estimated 525 gymnasts from 80 countries taking part in 10 days of competition and the competition will be staged in the new £120million 12,500-seat Hydro Arena currently under construction at the SECC. The arena opens in 2013 and will play host to the gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic) and netball competitions at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Glasgow has a longstanding relationship with gymnastics, staging its first ever Grand Prix event in 1997. Last month it hosted the newly revamped FIG World Cup for the first time in front of a capacity crowd in the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena. Glasgow is one of only four cities in the world to host the World Cup.
Glasgow will join an elite list of cities that have hosted the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships including Toyko (2011), London (2009), Melbourne (2005), Lausanne (1997), Brisbane (1994), Paris (1992) and Montreal (1985).