Former Sandwell student Joe Fraser becomes ambassador for World Gymnastics Championships

Following his Olympic debut in Tokyo, the 23-year-old former Sandwell Academy student 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.

More than 500 gymnasts from 75 countries will compete in the global event at the M&S Bank Arena, which will take place from October 29 to November 6.

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 World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 will be an Olympic qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.