Birmingham begins to feel the benefits of the 2012 Olympics later this year when hundreds of the world’s top gymnasts will arrive in the city for the Trampoline, Tumbling and Double Mini Trampoline World Championships. The prestigious event, featuring around 650 competitors and officials from 40 countries, will be held at the National Indoor Arena from November 17th and are a qualification event for the London Olympics.

But before then, three medal hopefuls are set to give a preview of the action to come when they visit Swanshurst School in Billesley on Wednesday February 16. Amanda Parker (Trampoline) will give a demonstration of her skills before joining Zara Mclean (Tumbling) and Alex Foster (Double Mini Trampoline) for a Q&A session. The trio all competed in last year’s World Championships in France.

Featuring eight events (four male/four female), November’s event will attract global media coverage with around 200 journalists and 20 TV crews and is expected to bring around £3 million in revenue to the city. The NIA will also play host to the World Age Group Championships (November 24-27) featuring around 1,200 participants aged 11-17.

Esther Nicholls, Major Events Consultant for UK Sport, says “The World Trampoline Championships in Birmingham will provide an invaluable opportunity for British athletes to experience international competition on home soil, to prepare them for their home Olympic Games, as well as a chance to build on the event staging capabilities of the sport.”