Wednesday 21 October 2015
Fans at the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships will be treated to a unique experience when competition gets underway on Friday 23rd October, with a number of never-seen-before features set to enhance their enjoyment of the grand occasion.
With the addition of new technologies and design elements, Glasgow will establish an impressive benchmark for the Championships, taking the spectator experience to new heights and demonstrating Scotland’s capacity to host the world’s most prestigious events to audiences worldwide.
Having featured as the host venue for both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics disciplines during the XX Commonwealth Games, Scotland’s newest entertainment arena, the £125m SSE Hydro, will set the perfect stage for the new-look contest.
In doing so, Glasgow joins an elite list of former host cities, including Tokyo, London and Melbourne, as it welcomes a record 594 athletes from 87 countries striving for qualification to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The ‘Mega Wall’
Perhaps the most commanding addition to the arena floor, the ‘Mega Wall’, constructed from a series of LED screens, stands at six metres high and 20 metres long. It will display a mix of interesting information for spectators, including details about athletes, latest social media interactions, national flags, promotional videos and messages from sponsors. It will be the largest wall of its kind to be constructed in The SSE Hydro and a first for the World Gymnastics Championships.
Retractable ‘Premium Floor’ seating
In another first for the world of gymnastics, spectators will come eye-to-eye with the greats of the sport and get closer to the action than ever before with the provision of exclusive Premium Floor tickets. Up to 400 fans a day will look on from this retractable floor seating which has been designed to greatly enhance the audience experience. Never before have spectators been able to enjoy such close proximity, usually reserved for competitors and officials.
Judging platforms
Judges in Glasgow will also enjoy a new perspective on proceedings as event organisers again break with tradition to create a cleaner floor space. Although judges would usually sit at tables adjacent to the apparatus, the 2015 WGC will see them positioned atop one of four bespoke judging platforms. Constructed at different heights and located on the outskirts of the field of play, these platforms will accommodate several pods, offering more privacy for sitting judges.
‘In-the-Round’ field of play
Internally, The SSE Hydro presents the first circular field of play in the history of the championships. Its unique shape has allowed the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) to draw-up an all-new layout for the apparatus. The vibrant exterior of the Hydro will also add to the spectator experience, as thousands of LED lights allow the building to shimmer in 12.8 million different colour combinations.
World Gymnastics Championship App
Developed to provide athletes and officials participating in the championships with essential information, the ‘Glasgow 2015’ app is fully searchable and includes a schedule of all competition, training and warm-up times, as well as alerts for important deadlines and meetings. Also provided are transport information, constantly updated scores and results, and access to key documents, such as Directives and Work Plans. This is the first time that event organisers have chosen to share operations information via an app, and it is sure to be an invaluable resource for all of those gathered in Glasgow.
Venue and Championship Look
The impressive venue graphics which bring the Championships arena to life have been specially designed and installed by event branding specialist LOOK, a collaboration between Glasgow based design agency Tangent and brand application experts EVM. The creative concept for the 'Look Programme' is directly inspired by the gymnasts themselves reflecting their incredible athletic ability to twist and turn and manifested in a unique and memorable graphical approach that creates the perfect stage for this world class sporting spectacular. Field & Lawn have supplied all carpet coverings around the field of play.
Colin Hartley, 2015 World Gymnastics Championship Director, said: “From the outset of our bid, we have been committed to taking the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships to the next level and we have worked closely with FIG and British Gymnastics to implement a number of exciting innovations which we believe will enhance both the competitor and spectator experience.
“We are now ready to unveil the venue to the public when the Championships get underway on Friday and with record country and athlete entries, and ticket sales already over the 50,000 mark, the stage is set for Glasgow and Scotland to host the biggest World Gymnastics Championships ever.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Scotland is now the envy of many other elite event hosting nations in the talent of our people, the sophistication of our infrastructure and the quality of our facilities, both built and natural. The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships is a further demonstration to the global events industry of Scotland’s reputation as a boundary-pushing nation when it comes to cutting-edge technology and design to enhance the spectator experience.
“The SSE Hydro will present many never-before-seen features for these championships, which will greatly enhance the experience of all spectators in Glasgow and add much value to the price of their tickets. I am proud to see many of the events supported by EventScotland continuing to innovate, which will ultimately add to Scotland’s capacity, capability, credibility and confidence as the perfect stage for the world’s most prestigious events.”
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