Tampa is getting the spotlight back in the gymnastics world. USA Gymnastics announced Tuesday that the city will host the 2027 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships and National Congress and Trade Show, bringing some of the country's top Olympic and World Championships talent to Benchmark International Arena for a four-day competition next August.
According to USA Gymnastics, the championships are slated for August 12-15, 2027, while the accompanying National Congress and Trade Show will run August 13-15 at the nearby Tampa Convention Center. All-session tickets are already on sale starting at $125 through Ticketmaster, the organization said. As 10 Tampa Bay reported, competitors will be vying for national titles and spots on U.S. national teams, with Olympic and World Championships medalists expected to headline the field.
A Return Engagement for Tampa
This isn't Tampa's first time in this role. The city most recently hosted both events in 2022, when Amalie Arena and the Tampa Convention Center welcomed roughly 150 gymnasts for a championship that, per the same USA Gymnastics source, drew about 9,083 hotel visitor room nights, according to statistics shared by Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins and reported by Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. That 2022 event, held August 18-21, marked the first time in more than 15 years that both the championships and the National Congress had taken place in USA Gymnastics' Region 8, which had last hosted them in Nashville back in 2004.
Florida's gymnastics history stretches back even further. The only other time the state hosted the national championship before 2022 was in Jacksonville in 1985, as FOX 13 Tampa Bay noted at the time. With the 2027 event locked in, Florida will have hosted the national championships three times once the competition wraps up in Tampa next August.
Who Might Take the Floor
USA Gymnastics' early outlook points to a loaded field, though the organization frames the athletes as expected participants rather than a confirmed roster. Frederick Richard, the defending U.S. men's all-around champion, is expected to lead a 2027 men's field that may also include his Olympic medal-winning teammates. Members of the U.S. Olympic team, which won bronze, are expected to compete alongside him.
On the women's side, Skye Blakely, the reigning World all-around champion after winning individual gold at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, is expected to be part of the new generation of stars featured in Tampa. The organization also pointed to Jade Carey, who returned to competition in 2026, along with Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles, both of whom have announced plans to rejoin elite gymnastics before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships site confirms that Olympic and World Championships medalists broadly will be competing for national titles and roster spots at the event.
Beyond the Competition Floor
The National Congress and Trade Show, a separate but overlapping event at the Tampa Convention Center, is expected to draw nearly 3,000 coaches, judges, and gymnastics professionals, along with trade show exhibitors. By comparison, USA Gymnastics described the 2022 edition of the Congress as annually drawing roughly 2,000 attendees, a notable jump in scale for the 2027 gathering. The Congress typically includes educational sessions, demonstrations, and industry exhibits aimed at the sport's coaching and judging community.
The Tampa dates slot into a packed international gymnastics calendar. The 2027 World Championships are scheduled for later that year in Chengdu, China, and the 2028 Olympic Games will follow in Los Angeles, making next summer's Tampa championships an early checkpoint for athletes building toward the LA Games.
