British Gymnastics plans to bid for the 2030 World Championships to be hosted at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
A formal bid will be submitted in December with a decision on the host country set to be announced in May 2026.
If successful, it would be the second time the Championships have been held in Liverpool – also doing so in 2022 – with Glasgow, London and Birmingham previously hosting too.
“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,” said Sarah Powell, chief executive of British Gymnastics.
“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.”
Coco Gauff was struggling for the second time in as many matches this week at the U.S. Open.
At one point during her second-round match against Donna Vekic on Thursday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s No. 3-ranked player became overwhelmed and couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
Gauff played through it all, however, and advanced with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory. She became emotional again afterward as she thanked the crowd for its support.
“You really helped me a lot,” the two-time major championship winner said during her post-match interview.
Gauff indicated that one member of the crowd in particular provided extra inspiration during the match — U.S. gymnastics legend Simone Biles. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist has been open about her mental health struggles during a career in which she has also won 23 world titles.
“Honestly, I saw her and … she helped me pull it out,” said Gauff, who later told reporters that her “Mount Rushmore of athletes” consisted of Biles and tennis legend Serena Williams. “I was just thinking if she could go on a six-inch beam and do that, with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball in this 75 — I don’t know how big this court is.
Coco Gauff reacts after defeating Donna Vekic during the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday in New York.
(Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)
“So, yeah, I saw her late in the second getting interviewed by ESPN and, yeah, it brought me a little bit of calm, just knowing her story, with all the things she went through mentally. So, she’s an inspiration, surely, and her presence definitely did help me today.”
During her in-match interview with ESPN’s Katie George, Biles said she came to the U.S. Open specifically to watch Gauff.
“She’s incredible, amazing, and it’s like, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Biles said. “It’s just such a privilege to watch her on home soil and watch Black Girl Magic.”
“Gymnastics is so different, so I just wanted to scream, ‘Go, Coco!’” Biles told Gauff. “But then they were like, ‘Maybe not right now.’ And I was like, ‘Got it.’ But congrats. I love watching you, everything you do.”
The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 French Open told her idol: “You’re such an inspiration. Like, seriously. What I said in the [on-court] interview, I was thinking about that literally.
“My mom did gymnastics on a way lower level than you. And so, she was like, ‘If I can focus on that, then you can do that.’ So, I was like, ‘OK, I guess you’re right.’ … You’re an inspiration, seriously.”
