Glasgow to host 2015 gymnastic championships
- Published
British gymnast Beth Tweddle performs on the horizontal bars
Glasgow has beaten competition from Paris and Orlando to host the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships.
The 10-day event is estimated to be worth £5m directly to the Scottish economy.
The championships are expected to bring 525 gymnasts from 80 countries to Glasgow.
It will be the first time the event has been held in Scotland. It will take place at the Scottish National Arena, which is being built at the SECC.
The £120m, 12,500-seat arena opens in 2013 and will play host to gymnastics and netball competitions at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Fierce competition
The leader of Glasgow City Council, Councillor Gordon Matheson, said: "This is fantastic news for Glasgow.
"It reaffirms our position as one of the world's top sporting cities and Scotland's sporting capital.
"The scale of this achievement is demonstrated by the fact we were up against Orlando and Paris, two cities with outstanding sporting pedigrees."
The Federation of International Gymnastics' decision to allow Glasgow to host the championships follows a joint bid from British Gymnastics, Glasgow City Council, EventScotland and UK Sport.
British gymnastics chief executive officer, Jane Allen, said: "We are delighted that Glasgow has been selected to host the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
"As the qualification event for the 2016 Olympic Games we are sure that all British gymnasts will benefit hugely from the terrific home crowd support that we have become accustomed to receiving in the city."