The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 (WGC2022) has today revealed the medals to be presented in next month’s World Gymnastics Championships, designed close to home by Wirral-based designer, Amy Flynn.
Flynn met with gymnastics icon and World Gymnastics Championships ambassador Beth Tweddle MBE and Councillor Roy Gladden, Lord Mayor of Liverpool (all pictured above), as part of the medal unveiling in the city. With just one month to go until the championships get underway, excitement continues to build, as Liverpool prepares to welcome the world’s best who will be hoping to take Flynn’s spectacular medals home.
The medals, have been manufactured by Toye, Kenning & Spencer, who also produced the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games medals. They take inspiration from the streets of the city and Liverpool’s rich cultural heritage, with Flynn selected to develop the designs following a call-out from the Liverpool based Bluecoat Display Centre, a nationally and internationally recognised contemporary craft and design gallery.
Under the brand name ‘Dripped Goods’, Flynn creates hand-crafted jewellery from recycled sterling silver.
Amy Flynn said: “I am thrilled to finally reveal the medal design I’ve been working on since the end of last year to the public. The excitement for the event is really building up, it’s so close now.
“Working with wax, I have developed this signature technique where I take impressions of landmarks to form ‘Souvenir jewellery’. Their surface is imprinted with textures of physical locations, preserved in metal, they capture memories of place for the wearer.
“I have taken impressions of some of Liverpool’s iconic landmarks including the M&S Bank Arena where the competition will be held, as well as the Liver Building and St George’s Hall. These locations are preserved in the medals surface, the idea is that the winning gymnasts get to take a little piece of Liverpool away with them when they leave.
“It is absolutely fantastic that people from around the world will be here for gymnastics, and to experience Liverpool – it is really exciting for everyone involved. I still can’t quite believe that I get to design items that are so significant to these gymnasts and that they will cherish forever.”
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Roy Gladden said: “The winning medal design is the perfect choice for the World Gymnastics Championships. Highlighting Liverpool’s most iconic landmarks in the design means that the city will always hold a special place in the hearts of the winning gymnasts when they leave. It’s fantastic that we get to showcase such a wide breadth of Liverpool’s talent throughout the Championships.”
Beth Tweddle, Britain’s greatest ever female gymnast and the first British gymnast to become World Champion and now ambassador to the World Championships, was part of the team to decide on the final medal design, and praised Amy’s ingenuity to embed the feel of the city within the medal itself: “I was lucky enough to be part of the team who got to choose the medal design. It was a really interesting experience because, as a gymnast, you usually get your medal (if you’re lucky enough to!) and don’t tend to think about the context, so to see so many fantastic designs and the inspiration behind them was pretty cool. Amy’s designs are stunning and have so much thought behind them. They are a true representation of Liverpool and I am so thrilled to now see them for real!”
Sam Rhodes, Director at the Bluecoat Display Centre, reflected on their excitement to display Amy’s work during competition time: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting opportunity benefitting an early career maker from our region and look forward to presenting Amy’s jewellery here at the Bluecoat Display Centre in a special showcase taking place during the Championships.”
The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 is 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. Up to 500 gymnasts from 75 countries are competing in the global event at the M&S Bank Arena, which will take place from 29 October to 6 November 2022.
To find out more and get your tickets, visit 2022worldgymnastics.com.
