Sport Climbing Approved for Inclusion in Paris 2024
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On June 24, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted unanimously to include Sport Climbing in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Sport Climbing, along with surfing, skateboarding and break dancing, will now enter an observation period until December 2020, when the IOC will make a final decision.
Unlike in Tokyo 2020, Sport Climbing in 2024 will be broken into two categories, with Lead climbing and Bouldering forming one and speed climbing the second. Speed climbing is the most divergent of the three disciplines, so the separation will allow athlete specialization, and thus faster times and more intense lead/bouldering courses.
The Lead and Bouldering event will be represented by 40 athletes and the Speed 32, increasing the total Sport Climbing quota from 40 to 72 athletes.
“Another hold up in our climb!” stated Marco Scolaris, the president of the IFSC. “This provisional inclusion is a result of a collective work that, over the months, has given continuity to the initial operation, which led our sport to Tokyo…We have to work harder than ever to organize an unforgettable event in Tokyo 2020, to secure our position for Paris 2024!”
Scolaris has been pushing for Climbing to be a part of the Olympics since 2007, when he was first elected. After over a decade of working with the IOC, the Olympic dream is finally becoming reality.
According to the IOC President Thomas Bach, “the four sports that Paris has proposed are all totally in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 because they contribute to making the programme more gender balanced and more urban, and offer the opportunity to connect with the younger generation.” Sport Climbing was selected by the IOC out of list containing 18 other contending sports.
Feature Image by Eddie Fowke/IFSC.