Joe Fraser has joined fellow Olympians Beth Tweddle MBE and Max Whitlock OBE as an official ambassador for the FIG 51st World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022.
Following his Olympic debut in Tokyo, the 23-year-old is looking forward to a packed home crowd when the World Championships are staged in Liverpool this year – the first time since 2015 that the Championships have been hosted in the UK.
Fraser has fond memories of the competition, making history in 2019 when he took home gold on parallel bars becoming the first British gymnast to win a World medal on that apparatus.
550 gymnasts from 75 countries will compete in the global event at the M&S Bank Arena, which will take place from 29 October to 6 November 2022.
Still just 23 years old, Fraser is already 2017 British all-around champion, 2019 World parallel bars champion and 2021 European pommel horse bronze medallist. He said:
“I am absolutely delighted to be an ambassador for the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 and cannot wait to be back competing in front of a home crowd. The competition will be strong, with the world’s best athletes all coming to Liverpool but I’m relishing the challenge.
“I’ve competed in Liverpool on a number of occasions and am really looking forward to making more special memories there. It’s going to be a massive moment for the entire city, and with less than 250 days to go I have already felt the excitement from everybody involved.”
The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) awarded the Championships to Liverpool following a combined bid between British Gymnastics, Liverpool City Council and UK Sport. It will be the fourth time the event has been held in the UK.
Stuart Campbell, Championships Director of the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022, echoed Fraser’s excitement:
“We are thrilled to have Joe join us as an ambassador for the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 – and cannot wait to work together on delivering what will be an incredible spectacle for the city and gymnastics fans all over the world.
“Our ambassadors are truly representative of the Championships and we will deliver on bringing Liverpool an innovative, inclusive and engaging event that will be truly memorable.
“With so many outstanding individuals, both established competitors and exciting young talents, gymnastics will inspire a new generation to be active and make a lasting impact to local communities. We are very much looking forward to introducing the thrill of gymnastics to a new generation and bringing the sport closer than ever to local communities.”
The M&S Bank Arena has staged the British Gymnastics Championships since 2011. It has also played host to several world class sporting events, including the Vitality Netball World Cup in 2019.
The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be an Olympic qualifying event for the Paris 2024 games and will be one of the largest international sporting events ever to be held in the city. To find out more and get your tickets, visit 2022worldgymnastics.com.