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Slovenian stars Janja Garnbret and Anze Peharc opened the 2019 climbing season with wins at Studio Bloc Masters 2019 in Pfungstadt, Germany, the first stop of the International Climbing Series (ICS) this year.

The ICS is held annually alongside the IFSC World Cup series and provides additional opportunities for elite international Sport Climbing athletes to compete at a high level. Two weeks before the first IFSC World Cup event of 2019 in Meiringen, Switzerland, 614 Bouldering participants from 43 nations and all 5 continents competed for early glory last weekend.

Slovenia showed their strength straightaway on Saturday, placing seven women and three men in the top 10 after qualifications. Combined world champions Garnbret and Jakob Schubert (AUT) topped all four problems in the semi-finals on Sunday, as well as Sergii Topishko of Ukraine and Slovenian teammates Peharc and Jernej Kruder, the current Bouldering season champion in the IFSC World Cup series and Studio Bloc Masters winner in 2017.

In the men's final in the evening, Peharc was the sole finalist to top three problems, concluding the round with a final top for the decisive victory. In the women's final, Garnbret mastered all four problems and was the only finalist to top the third problem, handing Slovenia their second victory of the day. Garnbret's compatriot Mia Krampl and Jessica Pilz (AUT) joined her on the podium with two tops, and Topishko and Vadim Timonov (RUS) edged Schubert by zone points to stand alongside Peharc with two tops as well.

Full replays of semi-finals and finals can be found on the Pfungstadt event page, and visit the Studio Bloc website for complete #SBM19 results.

The IFSC Season kicks off on 5th April in Meiringen, Switzerland, with the first Bouldering World Cup of 2019.

As per the IFSC Rules 2019, the registration deadline for teams (Athletes and Team Officials) is 15 days before the first day of the event.

The team registration deadline for the IFSC World Cup Meiringen is 20th March 2019 at 23:59 CET.

The IFSC is pleased to welcome Federico Ferro as Venue Delegate. Working alongside the IFSC Marketing & Communications and Sport Departments and collaborating with Event Organisers and Technical Delegates, Federico will attend each event in the IFSC calendar to improve the conditions for Broadcasters, Sponsors and Spectators.

From a young age Federico has been passionate about sport, starting out as an Athlete and moving on to become an Event Specialist. Following a Master’s degree in Law in Rome, Federico specialised in event management with a Sport Management Master’s at the Luiss Guido Carli University. He then joined the Venue Management Team of the Baku 2015 Operational Committee for First European Games.

Federico continued to become Executive Director at the European Boxing Confederation in Lausanne, liaising daily with National Members, Sponsors, Broadcasters and all the LOCs involved, supervising the organisation of over 50 tournaments and being responsible for the European Championships.

Working for Balich Worldwide Shows in 2017 as an on-site Consultant, Federico managed the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Following a busy week and a historic Plenary Assembly in Tokyo, Japan, the IFSC Board and Staff came together for a final morning of meetings on Sunday, allowing for an in depth debrief of the week. The meeting, which focused on the decisions made at the Plenary Assembly on Saturday, was also a chance for the Executive Board to set a clear roadmap for the months ahead.

The 14th annual IFSC Plenary Assembly took place this week in Tokyo, Japan, and the agenda consisted of updates on Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, gender equality, Paraclimbing development and more.

“2019 is a milestone period for Sport Climbing and the IFSC family: we signed an historic contract with Dentsu and Synca which opens new heights for our sport; Sport Climbing was proposed for the Olympic Games Paris 2024; and next month the qualification process begins for our first Olympic Games in Tokyo. The future is here,” opens Marco Scolaris, President of the IFSC.

500 Days Until Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Personalised workshops and meetings for National Federations on Thursday and Friday preceded the IFSC Plenary Assembly, including a seminar which detailed the Tokyo 2020 qualification process and guidelines for athletes. The Olympic test event for Sport Climbing has been confirmed by the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games for 6-8th March 2020 and will take place at the Aomi Urban Sports Park, visited this week by IFSC representatives.

“The Olympics seminar focused on further equipping our Member Federations to fully assume their roles in supporting the National Olympic Committees, less than 500 days before the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” says Jérôme Meyer, IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination.

Female Athlete Added to Executive Board

The proposal to add a female athlete representative to the IFSC Executive Board was approved during the IFSC Plenary Assembly on Saturday. The representative will be elected at the upcoming IFSC World Championships in Hachioji in August, alongside other members of the Athletes’ Commission. A new career path is also being put into place to include more women on the routesetting and officiating teams for IFSC events.

"Gender equality is a distinctive reality of climbing, and our sport has reflected this value since its foundation. There is a long way to go, though, and we are setting new goals for 2019,” says President Scolaris.

Paraclimbing Development Plan Approved

Following the Paraclimbing report presented by Paraclimbing Development Officer Daniel Torchia on Friday, a Paraclimbing development plan was approved during the IFSC Plenary Assembly. The plan includes the allocation of additional funds to Paraclimbing activities this season, creation of a Paraclimbing Committee and appointment of a Paraclimbing Officer.

“We are committed to expanding the development of Paraclimbing events worldwide, starting with the addition of a dedicated Paraclimbing Officer to our staff at home in Torino,” continues President Scolaris.

Moscow Elected World Championships 2021 Host

After hosting three international Sport Climbing events in 2018, Moscow was confirmed yesterday as the host of the IFSC World Championships in 2021. CISM also presented on the success of the first World Military Championships for Sport Climbing in Moscow last year.

Membership Expanded in Oceania

The Fiji Mountaineering and Climbing Association was ratified as IFSC Continental Member yesterday, expanding representation in Oceania ahead of the 2019 season and increasing the total number of IFSC Members to 91.

“Our mission is to develop Sport Climbing on all five continents, from Asia to Oceania. We are welcoming the future together, and every one of our stakeholders plays an essential role,” concludes President Scolaris.

The next IFSC Plenary Assembly will take place in Limassol, Cyprus, on March 13-14th 2020. In 2021, the IFSC Plenary Assembly will be hosted in Paris, France.

On the eve of the 14th Annual IFSC Plenary Assembly, all parties completed final preparations to ensure the smooth running of tomorrow’s main event.

Continental Councils met in the morning to discuss in slightly smaller circles. The Asian Continental Council held their Plenary Assembly, overviewing upcoming events, changes in continental rules and reflecting upon a successful 2018. At the same time the National Federations in the Oceania region took part in a Continental Council meeting to make plans for the upcoming season.

IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris and Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer were joined by Japanese media Kyodo News and Nikkei Asian Review for a series of interviews around Sport Climbing in the Olympic Games. President Scolaris announced that the IFSC now feels at home in Japan ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Mr Meyer outlined the current status of Sport Climbing and Paris 2024.

The Executive Board continued Thursday’s meeting, touching on further subjects relating to the 2019 and 2020 season and the broader development of our sport.

Finally, IFSC Member Federations registered for the Pre-Plenary Assembly and gathered to give several larger topics a preliminary hearing. In the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, key areas were presented for consideration and deliberation ahead of tomorrow’s Plenary Assembly. After a welcome from President Scolaris, Paraclimbing Development Officer Daniel Torchia presented a report of his research into Paraclimbing. Following this, Executive Director of Synca Creations Bae Soojun and Shingo Shibuya, Dentsu Inc. Senior Director, with whom the IFSC signed its latest deal, gave an overview of the agencies’ sports marketing backgrounds, on top of offering insight into a vision of how to increase the value of Sport Climbing by developing the visibility and revenue of events. It was followed by a speech by Pierre-Henri Paillasson, IFSC Vice-President & Treasurer, on how the Synca/Dentsu agreement will support IFSC current and future developments.

IFSC Paraclimbing Development Officer Daniel Torchia.

Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru, IFSC Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato and European Council President Wolfgang Wabel outlined the IFSC World Cup event model, presenting figures from previous IFSC seasons to show the growth and development of our sport.

As a ceremonial start to tomorrow’s Plenary Assembly, the day concluded with an opening ceremony dinner at the restaurant Hokkaido Shinagawa. The dinner was also a chance for the guests to experience and enjoy local cuisine, discuss what they had heard in the pre-PA and prepare for a full day of proceedings in tomorrow’s main event.

After the opening cocktail evening at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday evening, Thursday saw IFSC Member Federations, Board and Staff members continue the week’s events with a full day of meetings and workshops.

The IFSC Executive Board met with IFSC Staff for the first of a two-day preparatory meeting ahead of the Plenary Assembly, where statutes were reviewed and all were brought up to speed on plans for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer.

IFSC Board and Staff members prepare for the 2019 Plenary Assembly.

At the same time, representatives of the IFSC Member Federations took part in a day of workshops. The morning workshop focused on the Olympics, diving into rules and regulations provided by the International Olympic Committee. In an informative seminar, Jérôme Meyer, IFSC head of Olympic Coordination, advised National Federations on the branding and equipment guidelines for Athletes taking part in the Sport Climbing events at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The workshop also addressed the Olympic Qualification system and possible selection decisions which National Olympic Federations may face. Again, the focus was to prepare and advise IFSC National Federations so that they can fully assume their role in supporting the National Olympic Federations in the Athlete selection. The morning workshop concluded with a discussion of the Olympic Solidarity program, headed by Silvia Verdolini, IFSC Sport Director, and Naomi Cleary from Sport Climbing Australia. The two introduced best practice on how National Federations can proactively and efficiently work with their National Olympic Committee using the Olympic Solidarity framework.

Naomi Cleary of Sport Climbing Australia talks about the Olympic Solidarity program.

After lunch, National Federations reconvened to discuss changes in the upcoming IFSC event seasons. First of these was the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Project presented by Silvia Verdolini. The initiative started in 2018 to catalogue permissible equipment, with the aim to make the playing field fairer across international IFSC events. Using the same equipment at each IFSC event ensures that all stakeholders share the same experience, from Athletes and National Federations to Routesetters and Event Organisers. The workshop concluded with a presentation from Matthias Polig, CEO of Vertical-Life. Contracted to develop a new membership database and competition result software, the company provides a range of digital tools to improve climbing development. Matthias’ presentation gave attendees a view of the digital future of our sport.

The day culminated with a visit of the Aomi Olympic Games site for the IFSC Staff and Board members, allowing the team to see the location where Sport Climbing is set to take centre stage at the Games in 2020. IFSC and JMSCA representatives then met for dinner to celebrate a successful start to the 2019 IFSC Plenary Assembly events, with JMSCA co-organising the gathering this year. 2019 promises to be a busy but exciting year for the IFSC and JMSCA, as preparations for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the 2019 World Championships continue.

IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris with JMSCA President Kuniaki Yagihara and JMSCA Vice-President Yuji Hirayama during the IFSC and JMSCA dinner.

Representatives from IFSC Member Federations including Australia (SCA), Germany (DAV), Great Britain (BMC), Nepal (NMA), and host nation Japan (JMSCA) to name a few, as well as IFSC staff and Board members arrived at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo today to kick off the events leading up to the 14th Annual Plenary Assembly this Saturday.

Prior to the PA, attendees will take part in a series of meetings, workshops, dinners and tours in a diverse programme designed to be informative for all members. Proceedings commenced this evening with a welcome cocktail in the hotel’s top-floor bar, where delegates gathered in a relaxed setting to enjoy the twinkling lights of Tokyo and catch up with fellow Federations ahead of the coming days.

During the welcome gathering, IFSC President Scolaris met Yagihara Kuniaki, President of the Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association (JMSCA), host organiser of this year’s PA, and IFSC Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel welcomed representatives of Dentsu Inc and Synca Creations whom the IFSC is delighted to have just signed a multi-year partnership with.

Formal events begin tomorrow with a meeting of the IFSC Executive Board and two workshops for the National Federations.

IFSC Vice-President Communication Li Zhixin and Secretary General Debra Gawrych.

Anthony Seah, IFSC Asian Council President with IFSC Vice-President Treasurer and Finances Pierre-Henri Paillasson.

JMSCA President Yagihara Kuniaki alongside IFSC Continental Council Presidents Wolfgang Wable (Europe) and Romain Thevenot (Oceania).

Maria Izquierdo, President of the IFSC PanAmerican Council above the Tokyo skyline with Secretary General Debra Gawrych.

IFSC Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel with representatives of Synca Creations and Dentsu Inc.

Ahead of the 14^th Annual IFSC Plenary Assembly this Saturday, delegates are invited to visit the Accreditation Desk on floor 2F of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Main Tower from 2pm Japanese Standard time today, 13^th March.

Here, delegates can collect their accreditation passes and delegate packs ahead of the week’s events. The Accreditation Desk will also be open on Thursday and Friday from 9.00am to 6.00pm.

The Tokyo 2020 Organising committee celebrated 500 days until the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics on March 12, 2019 by releasing both the pictograms of the sports in the program and details about the torch run to be held before the event.

In line with the Tokyo 2020 brand promise of “Innovation from Harmony”, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 sport pictograms are designed to subtly communicate the characteristics and athleticism of each sport, as well as artistically highlights the dynamism of athletes. They will play a key role in enhancing the experience of athletes and spectators alike during the Olympic Games.

Olympic Games sport pictograms were first introduced at the Tokyo 1964 Games, which arose from a need to communicate visually to an increasingly international group of athletes and spectators. Since then, pictograms have been created for every edition of the Games.

For more information about the Pictograms, please see the news on the Tokyo 2020 website.

In addition, the locations where the Olympic Flame will be on public display prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay. The planned display is based on the concept that the Olympic Games should aid reconstruction in disaster-hit areas of Japan. It will align with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay concept "Hope Lights Our Way" in what will be the tenth year since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Tokyo 2020 will exhibit the Olympic flame--which will be lit in Greece--in the three most affected prefectures for two days each during March 20th - 25th 2020, aiming to give the public in those areas the best opportunity to view it before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay.

The Relay itself will commence on 26 March at the National Training Center J-Village in Fukushima. It will pass through all 47 prefectures in Japan over 121 days, giving these a chance to showcase their diverse cultural and scenic attractions.

Check where you can see the Olympic flame in Japan from March 20 to March 25th 2020 on the Tokyo 2020 website.

The IFSC has agreed on a mult-year partnership with Dentsu and Synca Creations.

Dentsu Inc., based in Tokyo, is the world’s largest advertising agency brand and the marketing agency of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games. Also headquartered in Tokyo, Synca Creations Inc. is a TV production and distribution company which has been a media partner of the IFSC in Japan since 2013.

"This historic agreement opens new heights for our sport, new horizons for our athletes and events, and strengthens our presence in Japan ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. This milestone deal will enable us to consolidate our organisation and invest in key developments to enhance the attractiveness of Sport Climbing and its strong appeal among youth,” says Marco Scolaris, IFSC President.

You can find the full press release about the deal here.

On the occasion of the CWIF (Climbing Works International Festival) 2019, one of the UK’s top Bouldering competitions which sees international Athletes go head to head with members of the British public, IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris visited Sheffield, UK.

Welcomed by owners of The Climbing Works and IFSC Officials Graeme Alderson and Percy Bishton, alongside IFSC Honorary Member and Climbers Against Cancer (CAC) Ambassador Reindert Lenselink, President Scolaris attended the renowned pre-IFSC season event. Featuring World Cup style Boulder problems, the CWIF 2019 made history by nominating the first female Chief Routesetter at an international Sport Climbing event, IFSC Routsetter Katja Vidmar.

“I have finally been able to enjoy this famous event and meet British Athletes as well as many other friends,” stated President Scolaris. “I also had the opportunity to spend the final day of the CWIF with Lynn Robinson, British Mountaineering Council (BMC) President. We shared feelings and views for the future of our sport and challenges that IFSC Member Federations will face with the new Olympic perspective Sport Climbing has achieved.”

President Scolaris and BMC President Lynn Robinson present medals to the CWIF 2019 team winners. Photo: Eddie Fowke / The Circuit Climbing.

President Scolaris and BMC President Lynn Robinson applaud the CWIF 2019 women's podium (Gold: Melissa Le Néve. Silver: Stasa Gejo. Bronze: Chloé Caulier).

On February 28^th, IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris attended the opening ceremony of the new Bouldering area of “Pôle France Escalade” at Brunerie (Tremplin Sport Formation) in Voiron, France.

President Scolaris was welcomed by Pierre You, President of the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade (FFME), IFSC Vice-President Treasurer & Finances Pierre-Henri Paillasson, French Sport Climbing champions such as Anouck Jaubert and Hélène Janicot, and TSF Director Franck Volpi.

“It is so inspiring to see that Olympic preparation centers are developing all over the planet, offering our athletes the opportunity to train in the best possible conditions,” President Scolaris said. “I wish for these centres to become a point of international exchange and a cultural reference for climbers across world, in line with the genuine tradition of climbing.”

Sport is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.

For International Women's Day this year, the IOC invited the Olympic Movement to support the UN Women’s campaign by sharing a picture on social media of an inspiring woman in sport. The IFSC joined the campaign today by celebrating the first Youth Olympic medallists of Sport Climbing at Buenos Aires, the first gender-balanced Olympic event ever.

"Gender equality is a distinctive reality of climbing, and our sport has reflected this since its foundation when, for instance, prizes were made identical," says Marco Scolaris, IFSC President. "There is a long way to go, though, and we want to set new goals. At the IFSC Plenary Assembly next week, we will propose the addition of a female athlete representative to the IFSC Executive Board."

In 2018, 40% of IFSC athlete licenses were distributed to women, and Katja Vidmar became the first female IFSC routesetter. At home, women now comprise 70% of IFSC full-time staff in Torino.

"A new career path is being put into place to include more women on our routesetting and officiating teams," says Silvia Verdolini, IFSC Sport Director. "Already in 2019, we will welcome a second female IFSC routesetter: Hélène Janicot."

Learn more about the women in sport movement on the IOC website here, and join the celebration online by sharing a picture of the women in climbing who inspire you most at #WomensDay #WomenInSport #WomenInClimbing!

Gold - Sandra Lettner, Austria

Silver - Vita Lukan, Slovenia

Bronze - Laura Lammer, Austria

The Annual IFSC Officials Seminar took place on 16-17th February in Turin, Italy, home to the IFSC Headquarters. IFSC Officials including Technical Delegates, Jury Presidents, Judges and Routesetters joined IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris, along with members of the IFSC Executive Board and Staff, to make final preparations ahead of the upcoming 2019 season which will start in Meiringen, Switzerland on 5th April.

Prior to the Officials Seminar, Technical Delegates and Jury Presidents met on Friday 15th February to discuss topics outside of the weekend’s programme. Members of the Routesetters Commission met separately at the IFSC Headquarters to run through updates around the Commission, before meeting with all 2019 nominated Routesetters the following day.

The Officials Seminar commenced on Saturday morning, with a welcome address from President Scolaris and an overview of the Sport Department’s trajectory in the approach to Tokyo 2020 from IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru. Silvia Verdolini, IFSC Sport Director, then provided an update on the Sport Department’s structure, introducing new Sport Assistant Hazel (Haesol) Han and offering insight into organisational charts both in and outside of IFSC events. Ms Verdolini also outlined the IFSC Official Sport Equipment project, which aims to create a fairer field of play across the event calendar, as well as improvements to the presentation of our sport moving forward.

“The Officials Seminar provided the perfect opportunity to formally introduce the IFSC Officials to the Official Sport Equipment project,” announced Sport Director Silvia Verdolini. “Moving forward, the Officials will create IFSC events using only Official Sport Equipment, so this was a great time to talk through the catalogue’s implications and plans for implementation.”

IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini updates the Seminar on the structure of the Sport Department.

IFSC Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato then continued with a rundown of the 2019 calendar and events, before the Officials participated in a practical debrief of the 2018 season, ensuring that last year’s challenges transform into strong points for the 2019 season. Debra Gawrych, IFSC Secretary General, at this point joined the seminar to deliberate the direction in which our sport is heading in 2019, ahead of a talk from Director of the IFSC Ethics Commission Marc Le Menestrel on corruption and ethics in sport.

Marc Le Menestral, Director of the IFSC Ethics Commission, shares his findings with the IFSC team.

Saturday afternoon saw the Officials split into two groups, where Jury Presidents and Judges were presented with a new result system by Vertical-Life CEO Matthias Polig, Head of Development Iiro Virtanen, Software Engineer Saulius Astromskis and Lead Interaction Design Riccardo Zecchini, before preparing for the 2019 season with a consideration of competition rules. Routesetters carried out a further debrief of the 2018 season, preceding an address of the Routesetters’ mandate agreement and Routesetting guidelines.

Matthias Polig, CEO of Vertical-Life shares the new result system for IFSC events with the Officials.

Day one concluded with a report on Paraclimbing from IFSC Paraclimbing Development Officer Daniel Torchia, prior to the full presentation of his findings surrounding Paraclimbing research at the 2019 IFSC Plenary Assembly in Tokyo next month. IFSC Officials, President Scolaris, Secretary General Debra Gawrych, VP Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and IFSC Staff then met for a dinner in the city, allowing stories of IFSC events to be shared and a team-feel to take hold.

“The aim of the Officials Seminar is not only to inform the Officials of the changes to be implemented over the coming season, but also to create synergy amongst the IFSC team,” stated President Scolaris. “To push the boundaries of our sport and put on the best events possible we all, from IFSC Officials to IFSC Staff and Executive Board members, must work together as one team.”

IFSC President Marco Scolaris welcomes IFSC Officials in Turin.

Continuing the team-building theme, Sunday started with a talk on teamwork from guest speaker Giovanbattista Venditti, an Italian rugby union player who plays not only for Zebre, but for the Italian national rugby union team. Marc Le Menestrel then added to his work from the Ethics Commission, baring the promising news that Sport Climbing has not yet succumbed to corruption. An overview of the 2019 rules was then offered, with the impact they may have on both Judges and Routesetters.

With just over one year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, preparations were put forward for the Tokyo 2020 Sport Climbing events. As Sport Climbing will feature in multiple Multi-Sport events in 2019, the Urban Bouldering Format was then addressed, which will come into play in said Games throughout the coming season.

“With the inclusion of Sport Climbing in the Urban Park at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the Aomi Urban Sports Venue at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it is important to work closely with the IFSC Officials to guide our sport during its development as an Urban sport,” explained IFSC VP Sport/Events Kobinata Toru.

IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru talks Tokyo 2020.

Sunday afternoon saw the Jury Presidents and Judges separate from the Routesetters once more to further discuss 2019 rules, whilst the Routesetters talked about National Federation training requests and the Routesetter career path. Technical Delegates and Jury Presidents ended the seminar with a discussion on how to better manage risks across events, prior to a training session for the Jury Presidents before the start of the 2019 season.

The 2019 season kicks off on 5th April with the first Bouldering World Cup of the year in Meiringen, Switzerland.

Applications are now open for the 2020 and 2021 World Cup seasons and this year, National Federations can apply to host a World Cup in two seasons via the same application.

In previous years applications for host cities have been open for only the following year but, in an effort to allow more efficient planning for National Federations, Event Organisers and Athletes, the IFSC wishes to launch competition calendars further in advance by confirming simultaneously the host cities for the next two years. By enforcing an earlier World Cup preparation process the IFSC aims to improve the quality of each competition season, as well as to establish greater relationships with Event Organisers and better the communication between IFSC stakeholders.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

IFSC President Marco Scolaris will be discussing Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 qualification and more at the press conference following the 14th Annual Plenary Assembly, taking place this year in Tokyo, Japan.

The press conference will be held on 16^th March at 18:00 (local time) at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, and representatives of the media are invited to attend.

"From the first Youth Olympic medals last year to qualification for the first Olympic Games for Sport Climbing, our Olympic journey together continues in 2019, and Japan is a leader on this incredible climb," says President Scolaris.

More information can be found in the press conference Invitation and Plenary Assembly Programme & Agenda.

In the year preceding Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and following Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, Sport Climbing and the IFSC have reached another milestone on the Olympic journey.

During a press conference today in Paris, France, the Paris Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games (Paris 2024) confirmed a proposal to include four additional sports in the Sports Programme of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games: Breakdance, Skateboarding, Surfing and Sport Climbing.

Next Steps to Inclusion

The proposal will next be presented to the IOC Executive Board on March 26th-28th. If accepted, the proposal will then be put forward to the 134th IOC Session on 24th June in Lausanne, Switzerland. If approved, Sport Climbing will feature in the Summer Olympic Games for the second consecutive edition.

“It is again a great day: our climb goes on, and new challenges are taking shape beyond Tokyo. We are happy to see that Paris 2024 is supporting the new wave, which is strengthening the Olympic movement. We are grateful for the proposal’s recognition of the value of Sport Climbing and the work the IFSC has done. We are proud to be part of this process and we look forward to the next steps in the following months,” says Marco Scolaris, President of the IFSC.

The press conference was attended by Sport Climbing representatives Jérôme Meyer, IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination; Pierre You, President of the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade (FFME); and French star Sport Climbing athlete Julia Chanourdie.

Recognition of a Rapid Rise

With this proposal, Paris 2024 aims: “to support the development of four booming sports all over the world […] and to offer spectacular and sustainable Games that enhance the performance of athletes and engage youth and the general public, thanks to sports with a strong lifestyle dimension.”

Since the founding of the IFSC in 2007 and definitive recognition by the IOC in 2010, Sport Climbing has already achieved inclusion to the Sports Programmes of multiple Olympic events. In 2016, Sport Climbing was added to the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo and most recent Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where Sport Climbing made its Olympic debut.

“Sport Climbing is making history in the Olympics and the world of sport. One century after 1924, there is now an opportunity at the next Olympic Games in Paris to celebrate a youthful sport, growing at a rapid pace all around the world. If there is any home of Sport Climbing, it is right here in France, and we know the entire climbing community is ready,” says Pierre You.

Enriching the Experience

Additionally, Paris 2024 plans to enrich the Sport Climbing event in 2024 by expanding from one to two distinct competitions, six to twelve medals and 40 to 72 athletes in total. Under the proposal, 16 women and 16 men would compete for six medals in the Speed discipline; 20 women and 20 men would compete for six medals based on the combination of results in the Bouldering and Lead disciplines.

“‘Innovative, connected and engaging,’ Olympic Games Paris 2024 have been announced as ‘Revolutionary Olympic Games.’ The planned expansions for 2024 would create the opportunity for more Sport Climbing countries and athletes to express their talents on the Olympic stage. As the IFSC and our stakeholders have been doing for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we look forward to working closely with the IOC and Paris 2024 to meet high expectations and make spectators of Sport Climbing active participants, from anywhere in the world,” concludes Marco Scolaris.

Show Your Support!

Get involved on the #ClimbToParis and show the world #ItsYourTurn by sharing the news on social media and posting on the #SportClimbing2024 Facebook event!

The IFSC is pleased to welcome Hazel (Haesol) Han as Sport Assistant. Hazel will join the Sport Department’s efforts in creating an IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue for Bouldering, Lead and Speed competitions, a project which aims to create a fairer playing field across all IFSC events.

A native of South Korea, Hazel has studied and lived overseas for more than 12 years. Passionate about the vibrant field of international sporting events, she previously held a position within the Protocol team at the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Hazel received a BA degree from Trinity College, USA, and a joint MA degree in Public Policy from the Central European University, Hungary & University of York, UK. Her previous roles include non-profit organisations, a bouldering gym, and voluntary positions for a climbing charity and mountain film festival. Hazel loves spending time in the mountains and climbing outdoors, plus the challenges and inspirations that accompany the great outdoors.

2018 crowned the first Youth Olympic champions of Sport Climbing, and all eyes turn to Tokyo in 2019.

42 game changers shone in the spotlight of the first Youth Olympic Games for Sport Climbing in Buenos Aires, the most digitally-consumed edition in the event’s eight-year history. Standing atop the podium beside teammates Shuta Tanaka (JPN) and Laura Lammer (AUT), Sam Avezou (FRA) and Vita Lukan (SLO), Japan’s Keita Dohi and Sandra Lettner of Austria capped-off a memorable chapter in the sport’s Olympic journey. After qualifying at home in Innsbruck, Lettner brought back a gold medal to Austria, also host last year of the IFSC World Championships. Dohi extended the Olympic legacy of Japan in Sport Climbing, winning gold two years before the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“Sharing the podium with Laura was a dream come true, for us and for climbing in Austria,” said Lettner.

“I’m delighted with the result and I’m also happy because we created a good impression as a sport,” said Dohi. “Sport Climbing is going to be recognised in Japan. I hope everyone comes to see it at Tokyo 2020.”

This year, Sport Climbing qualification events begin for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the first in the sport’s history. Traditionally held biannually, the IFSC World Championships will take place again in 2019 in Hachioji, Tokyo. Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing performances will set the stage for the expanded Combined finals, the first qualification event. The IFSC World Cup series will also carry extra weight in 2019. Top athletes in the Overall World Cup ranking will earn a spot at the second qualification event in Toulouse, France. Meiringen, Moscow, Chongqing, Wujiang, Munich, Vail, Villars, Chamonix, Briançon, Kranj and Xiamen all appear on the calendar again, and the season will conclude in Inzai, Japan. View the full Tokyo 2020 Qualification System, and the provisional 2019 calendar can be found at ifsc-climbing.org and above.

“2018 was certainly a golden year for Sport Climbing. The sun has set on our debut at the Youth Olympic Games, but another one rises as the climb to Tokyo continues in 2019. Let’s keep journeying together, as one community, to make the most of this new chapter,” says IFSC President Marco Scolaris.

Media may already register to attend IFSC events on the online media accreditation platform. Registration closes 1 week before the event for TVs and 48 hours for other media. TVs who wish to film the competition climbing should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With only a year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris, Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer travelled to Tokyo to meet the team behind Tokyo 2020 and the organisers of the first ever Olympic Sport Climbing events.

Meeting with the Tokyo 2020 team, President Scolaris, VP Kobinata Toru and Jérôme Meyer spent 20-27th January 2019 planning for the Sport Climbing Olympic test event, fine-tuning the final venue layout and addressing services such as accommodation, accreditation and tickets.

“As we move full speed towards Tokyo 2020, we’re working closely with the team responsible for the Olympic Sport Climbing events to ensure the smooth-running of the events and guarantee that our sport is presented to the world in its best possible light,” explained Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer.

President Scolaris added, “There is a great atmosphere between the IFSC and the Tokyo 2020 team; We’re sharing our knowledge of Sport Climbing and they’re working tirelessly to cater for the needs of our events. Preparations are right on track for the Olympic premiere of our sport.”

President Scolaris, VP Kobinata Toru and Mr Meyer join the Tokyo 2020 team for a meal in Tokyo, accompanied by Benoit Beylier from Entre-Prises.

Whilst in Tokyo, President Scolaris and Mr Meyer also met with Eric Surdej, CEO of Entre-Prises to visit the venue for the 2020 Olympic Sport Climbing events. Entre-Prises designs, manufactures and installs bespoke solutions for the sport of climbing throughout the world and, as the Official Climbing Wall Partner of the IFSC, is set to be the Sole Supplier of the Tokyo 2020 climbing walls.

“Entre-Prises will produce the walls for our Olympic events next year, so it was important for their CEO Eric Surdej to join us in Tokyo to view the venue from the perspective of the climbing wall manufacturer,” stated Jérôme Meyer, IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination.

President Scolaris and Mr Meyer ended their visit to Tokyo by meeting agencies Synca and Dentsu to discuss current developments and share innovative ideas. Methods were put forward to improve the presentation of Sport Climbing moving forward to Tokyo 2020.

Following the meeting, President Scolaris said “As Sport Climbing becomes increasingly prominent in the public eye, we are determined to focus our efforts on improving the spectator experience whether it be on site or on TV.”

President Scolaris and VP Kobinata Toru are interviewed by Japanese media. Photo: Takashi OKUI.

In order to maximise Sport Climbing exposure and benefit the rapid development of the sport both in Japan and worldwide, IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych, Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel and IFSC Consultant Steven Morris (Director Europe of Broadreach Media) spent the last week in Tokyo, Japan.

Meetings were held with various Tokyo-based stakeholders, among which were Synca, a Japanese corporation that has actively contributed to the inclusion of Sport Climbing in Japan’s leading television channels, and Dentsu, the fifth largest communications agency in the world.

“It is an exciting period for Sport Climbing,” stated IFSC Marketing and Communications Director Anne Fuynel. “The sport is receiving increased attention, confirming its attractiveness amongst younger generations and top players in the sporting industry.”

Debra Gawrych, IFSC Secretary General, added, “As Sport Climbing rises in popularity, it is crucial that the IFSC continues to develop innovative and engaging ways to showcase our sport, working closely with key stakeholders along the way to share ideas and perspectives.”

Following the Synca and Dentsu meetings, seniors in the IFSC Marketing & Communications team held a debrief, where all put forward that they were pleased with proceedings and agreed their confidence in announcing good news in the near future, with the outcome of the week having a tremendous impact on IFSC stakeholders.

International sports trade fair ISPO Munich kicks off this Sunday at the Messe München exhibition grounds, Germany. Now in its 49th year, this weekend will see ISPO Munich premiere its Indoor.Climbing.HUB, where IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris and IFSC Consultant and former top athlete Charlotte Durif will give insight into Sport Climbing’s journey to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

As Sport Climbing experiences a period of rapid growth, the Indoor.Climbing.HUB aims to explore key topics impacting our sport, bringing together significant stakeholders within the Sport Climbing industry to discuss the sport’s development and present tangible data for growth. IFSC President Marco Scolaris and Charlotte Durif, IFSC Consultant, will be amongst the hub’s programme of speakers, offering an overview of the Olympic format for Sport Climbing, questioning strategic considerations and deliberating potential post-Olympic opportunities that may arise as a result of the Tokyo 2020 Sport Climbing events.

“With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games being only one year away, it is an extremely exciting time for the development of our sport,” says President Scolaris. “The IFSC is meticulously planning for the Games and anticipating the evolution of Sport Climbing post-2020. The Indoor.Climbing.HUB will be a great opportunity to meet with key figures in the Sport Climbing industry and prepare for the future of our sport, sharing expectations as well as concerns.”

President Scolaris and IFSC Consultant Charlotte Durif will speak as part of the Indoor.Climbing.HUB at ISPO Munich on Tuesday 5th February, 12.00pm.

Laurent Laporte, Director of Cheeta Holds, was appointed by the IFSC to produce a never-before-seen set of holds to debut at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

The set of holds, consisting of 125 shapes that prior to the Games had been kept under wraps away from athlete eyes, featured a unique ‘futuristic’ grip, which put the athletes through their paces in a rigorous set of routes and boulder problems.

Working with Laurent Laporte of Cheeta Holds, the IFSC Routesetters used a brand-new set of holds for the Lead and Bouldering competitions to ensure fairness within the field of play.

Named “2018”, the range of holds is now available for sale from Cheeta Holds.

Ten candidates remain in the race for The World Games' Athlete of the Year award, including Sport Climbing star Janja Garnbret (SLO), currently in 7th place.

Every year, top athletes from 25 participating sports of The World Games face-off for the annual award. The winner is decided by public vote, which takes place throughout the month of January. Fans can vote once per day for their candiate, and new subscribers to The World Games' newsletter may vote twice per day according to the rules. On January 15^th, the field shrinks to the top ten for the duration of the vote. Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) claimed the prize last year in an incredibly tight race, and Adam Ondra (CZE) won in 2014 after becoming the Bouldering and Lead world champion.

Garnbret, Athlete of the Month in September, recorded numerous achievements in 2018. She placed 1st or 2nd at every Bouldering and Lead event in which she competed. At the biannual IFSC World Championships, which took place in Innsbruck and featured the Combined finals for the first time, Garnbret placed 1st in Bouldering, 2nd in Lead and 1st in the Combined finals. In the annual IFSC World Cup series, she won more events than any other athlete (6) and placed 1st in Lead, 4th in Bouldering and 1st in the Combined season rankings. In total, Garnbret amassed eight gold and five silver medals in 2018.

In addition, Garnbret showed good sporting spirit during competitions and was a role model off the climbing walls. Instead of competing in May events, Garnbret took time to focus on her final examinations for school. Besides school and climbing, she does not have time for much else. "And even if I had time for anything else, I would still go climbing," she laughs.

Show your support for Garnbret and Sport Climbing by voting every day until February 1^st on The World Games website.

Along with IFSC Executive Board and staff members, IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris discussed preparations for the coming year last Friday, 11th January, during the IFSC’s monthly Executive Board teleconference.

With next year seeing the inclusion of the first Sport Climbing events in the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 was one of the focuses of the meeting. Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer disclosed the status of the venue layout, stating that plans for the warm-up area are currently being finalised. Meyer added that an Olympic test event will be held shortly after the World Championships later this year, requiring practical operations to ensure the smooth-running of the upcoming Games.

Plans for the 2020 Youth World Championships and the 2021 World Championships were then brought to the table, with the Sport Department also providing updates to this year’s Calendar, including the 2019 World Championships scheduled to take place in Hachioji, Japan, in August.

Rounding off the Sport Department agenda, IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini reported on the Sport Department Management Committee Meeting, before the Executive Board voted on the Bouldering Urban Format Task Force report, 2019 Officials’ Nominations, the World Games Qualification Process and Selection Criteria for T20 Holds, Macros and Volumes. The latter vote saw the Board review how Holds, Macros and Volumes will be selected for the Olympic Games.

Anne Fuynel, IFSC Marketing & Communications Director, continued by raising a series of changes to the Marketing & Communications team in 2019, beginning with the appointment of a Venue Delegate and a new Event Sponsor and Media Officer, both whom will be based at the IFSC Headquarters in Torino, Italy. Although the Venue Delegate will work within the Marketing & Communications Department, IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini informed the Board that the responsibilities of this role will be shared with the Sport Department. It was also announced that a new Sport Assistant will join the IFSC in early February, ahead of the 2019 competition season.

Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel then offered insight into existing and upcoming Sponsorship Deals, with key contracts set to be signed before the end of the month.

With just two months to go until the IFSC Plenary Assembly in Tokyo (registrations are open until Thursday 31st January), the Administration Department put forward the Provisional Agenda for the Board’s approval. The Plenary Assembly Programme, sent out to IFSC Member Federations in December 2018, can be viewed here.

Further Executive Board discussions surrounded changes to the IFSC Medical Commission, Member Federation updates and a review of IFSC Statutes. It was confirmed that the next Executive Board teleconference will take place on Wednesday 13th February at 12:00pm CET.

The IFSC is searching for a Venue Delegate, who shall be responsible for the management of sponsors and broadcasters during the main IFSC Events, for the upgrade of sport presentation, and to ensure the delivery of high-quality events.

Based at the IFSC Headquarters in Torino, Italy, the Venue Delegate will have a dual role in the delivery of successful Events in order to fulfil IFSC sponsorship and broadcasting contracts: a coordination role in the preparation of events, and an operational role on Events. He/she will be assisted by the IFSC Event Sponsor and Media Officer and will work closely with the IFSC Event Officer and the Technical Delegates nominated to each Event.

Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “Venue Delegate Application” in the subject line, no later than Thursday 31st January 2019.

For the full job description, please click here.

Please be advised that the IFSC office will be closed during the festive period.

Following the working day on Friday 21st December, the office will remain closed until Monday 7th January 2019.

We wish you a wonderful festive season and warm wishes for 2019, which will see our sport reach new heights as we gain ever closer to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Bring it on.

The IFSC Sport Department met in Torino, Italy, on 6-7th December, to discuss the evolution of Sport Climbing in the approach to the sport’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic debut.

IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris welcomed key figures in the IFSC competition calendar with an update on the progression of the IFSC and the development of our sport. President Scolaris gave an overview of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2018 in Buenos Aires, where the first ever Olympic Sport Climbing medals were awarded, before handing over to Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer for a full YOG debrief. Insight into preparations for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was then offered, ahead of the Olympic qualifying events in 2019.

Updates on changes to the Combined Format, which sees athletes compete across the three disciplines of Sport Climbing: Lead, Speed and Bouldering, were then presented. Led by Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer, discussions focussed on how these changes, decided upon by the Executive Board in their meeting earlier this month, will be implemented in future competitions and in particular, the 2020 Games.

“As we approach Tokyo 2020 it is vital that Sport Climbing moves and grows with us, evolving for the better as we prepare to showcase our sport to a new and bigger audience than ever before,” states IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru, informing the Sport Department of the direction in which the IFSC wishes to take our sport moving forward.

Amendments to the Sport Climbing competition rules were then raised by member of the Rules Commission Tim Hatch, who reviewed the work of the Commission over the previous months alongside Director of the Rules Commission Francois Leonardon, selected Technical Delegates (TDs), Jury Presidents (JPs), athlete representatives and coaches.

Friday saw a continuation of the Sport Department meeting, beginning with an open debate led by IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini into the roles of each commission, their mandates and composition.

“We wish to create a more efficient structure within the commissions and the Sport Department as a whole. By bringing the technical commissions directors under one roof to discuss this matter, we can work together to find a solution and benefit the future of Sport Climbing,” says Sport Director Silvia Verdolini.

As Sport Climbing is now identified as an Urban sport, the IFSC is working to establish an innovative and engaging format to showcase our sport in an Urban setting. Bouldering is set to be included in the upcoming ANOC Beach Games and FISE World Series events, so TDs Graeme Alderson and Fabrizio Minnino, Director of the Routesetter Commission Percy Bishton and Evgeniy Chernyshev, Director of the Event Commission, brought a range of format ideas to the table to potentially be implemented during these competitions.

The Sport Department rounded off the two-day meeting with an introduction to the 2019 Calendar from IFSC Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato, before a presentation of the Nominations of Officials moving into 2019.

The International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) visited the IFSC Headquarters in Torino, Italy, on 11th December, to exchange over organisational resemblances.

Representatives from ISMF, the international governing body for Ski Mountaineering competitions, included General Manager Roberto Cavallo and ISMF Secretaries/Press Office Giulia Avagnina and Valeria Ponzo. Alongside IFSC President Marco Scolaris, IFSC Administration Director Francesca Jengo also attended the meeting.

Sharing a number of similarities, the IFSC and ISMF came together to talk about organisational workings and developments.

"The IFSC and ISMF could learn from each other to benefit the growth of Sport Climbing and Ski Mountaineering," President Scolaris said at the end of the meeting.

The XXIII Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly took place in Tokyo, the home of the 2020 Olympic Games, on 28-29th November. Represented by IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris and Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru, the IFSC was one of many International Federations in attendance, together with representatives of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

ANOC aims to benefit the Olympic Movement by strengthening relationships between the NOCs and for the first time in recent years, representatives from all NOCs were present at the General Assembly. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Federations, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games Organising Committees and 2026 Winter Olympic Games Bid Committees also attended the conference.

“It was a great honour to join members of the Olympic family from across the world at the ANOC General Assembly,” declared IFSC VP Kobinata Toru. “As we pass the 600-day countdown to Tokyo 2020 and Sport Climbing’s first ever appearance in the Olympic Games, it felt pretty special to see all 206 NOCs meet together.”

The ANOC General Assembly 2018 marked 603 days to go until Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020 preparations were reported on, followed by a review of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) which were held in Buenos Aires just one month before the General Assembly. Highlights of the YOG 2018 included a number of firsts for the event, with the first Olympic medals being awarded for Sport Climbing and an even number of men and women competing in the Games for the very first time. The YOG 2018 also celebrated its eighth year by achieving a higher level of coverage than its predecessors, making the event the most digitally-consumed to date.

“It was a fantastic feeling to see photographs from the Sport Climbing event in Buenos Aires included in the assembly, illustrating the success of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games,” elated President Scolaris.

An overview of the YOG 2018, featuring photographs from the first Olympic Sport Climbing event.

Aside from a number of Olympic updates, the General Assembly offered an overview of the ANOC World Beach Games 2019, where the IFSC has been invited to host a Bouldering event. The ANOC Beach Games, which are scheduled to take place in San Diego during October 2019, will feature 17 disciplines across 15 different sports. Sports chosen for the Games include beach, water and action sports, all chosen for their appeal to a younger audience.

Following the ANOC, IFSC President Marco Scolaris and VP Kobinata Toru joined Japan Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association (JMSCA) President Yagihara Kuniaki and VP Hirayama Yuji for a special dinner, to talk about the upcoming IFSC Plenary Assembly (PA) and the 2019 IFSC World Championships. Both the PA and World Championships will be held in Tokyo.

Whilst in Tokyo President Scolaris and VP Kobinata Toru also met with Mr Takayuki Ishimori, Mayor of Hachioji, to discuss plans for the 2019 IFSC World Championships. Hachioji (located on the western side of Tokyo) is set to host the 2019 Championships, which will be the first opportunity for Olympic hopefuls to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Sport Climbing events. During the meeting President Scolaris assured Mayor Ishimori that the IFSC, working alongside the JMSCA, will deliver the best possible event in Hachioji 2019. In return, the Mayor confirmed his full support of the World Championships and his willingness to assist Sport Climbing on its journey towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“Meeting with Mayor Ishimori presented the IFSC with an opportunity to plan our partnership for the World Championships in August, as well as to prepare for future IFSC events in Hachioji,” stated President Scolaris. “We feel at home in Japan and I was extremely happy to see Hachioji’s determination to invest in our sport, both in the approach to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”

IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris and Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru meet Mr Takayuki Ishimori, Mayor of Hachioji.

The IFSC and the Japan Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association (JMSCA) are pleased to announce that the 14th IFSC Plenary Assembly will take place in Tokyo, Japan on March 16th 2019.

All Member Federations have received the Plenary Assembly Programme. Registrations are now closed. If you require more information, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini and Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato met with Technical Delegates (TD’s) Graeme Alderson, Christophe Billon, Vincent Caussé and Fabrizio Minnino at the FFME (La Fédération Française de la Montagne et de L'Escalade) headquarters in Paris on November 26-27th, to analyse the 2018 season and prepare for the coming year.

Technical Delegates deal with all IFSC-related sport and organisational matters during the running of IFSC events, ensuring that all facilities and services provided by the competition organiser adhere to IFSC Regulations. With Sport Climbing gaining more TV coverage as we journey closer to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the demands of IFSC competitions are ever increasing and for this reason, the role of the Technical Delegate is changing. The purpose of this meeting was therefore to discuss exactly how the role will evolve moving into 2019, as well as to discuss how to better clarify and implement the competition rules across the continents in the coming season.

“Technical Delegates are key to the smooth running of all IFSC events,” stated IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini. “As Sport Climbing grows and gains an increasing amount of TV exposure, it is vital that we meet with our TD’s to plan the development of the role to ensure that our competitions run without any glitches.”

Halls and Walls, the annual climbing hall convention of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), took place in Nuremberg, Germany, on the 23rd-24th November. The DAV welcomed IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and Sport Director Silvia Verdolini in Nuremberg to share plans for the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue with the climbing industry.

The convention saw exhibitions from some of the biggest brands in the climbing world, with 2018’s hottest products on display and expert discussions surrounding the latest topics and issues in our sport, from climber health and safety to climbing wall management and maintenance. Talks also offered insight into the latest apps, software and technology for monitoring safety and personal progression in climbing.

IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and Sport Director Silvia Verdolini introduced plans for the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue to the industry, an initiative which aims to make the playing field fairer across international IFSC events. The catalogue will contain details of IFSC approved equipment such as holds, volumes and macros and in future, IFSC events will use only IFSC Official Sport Equipment within the Field of Play. Using the same equipment at each IFSC event ensures that all stakeholders share the same experience, from athletes and National Federations to routesetters and event organisers.

“Halls and Walls was the perfect opportunity to introduce the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue to the industry,” declared Sport Director Silvia Verdolini. “I’d like to thank the DAV for their warm welcome of the IFSC at the convention, where we were able to obtain feedback from climbing professionals as well as obtain contacts from brands interested in applying for their equipment to feature in the Catalogue.”

The IFSC Executive Board Meeting took place in Torino, Italy, on 3rd-4th December. IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris met with the Board alongside IFSC staff to discuss organisational updates and Sport Climbing developments.

President Scolaris welcomed all to the meeting with an appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the Executive Board and IFSC staff in the ongoing journey towards Tokyo 2020, labelling Sport Climbing as an up and coming Urban Sport.

Proceedings commenced with a review of the IFSC’s Governance and Statutes, continuing with a vote from the Board on a series of proposed amendments to be finalised during the Plenary Assembly in March 2019. Director of Marketing & Communications Anne Fuynel then offered insight into marketing contractual changes entering 2019, before the Administration department reported on the IFSC’s GDPR assessment and President Scolaris and the Board discussed Human Resource matters and the provisional budget for 2019. Following this, the Administration department informed the congress of preparations for the 2019 Plenary Assembly in Tokyo, raising ideas for workshops and timings of the meeting. The upcoming Plenary Assembly will ratify the membership of Fiji, the latest Continental Member of the IFSC which was acknowledged during the Executive Board Meeting.

An additional Plenary Assembly, to be held in August 2019 during the IFSC World Championship, was considered by the Executive Board. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session will decide in June which sports are to be included in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and whatever the decision, the Executive Board believes that a further Plenary Assembly would be recommendable to meet with the National Federations and develop a strategic plan for the years to come.

Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer addressed plans for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the future of our sport, also giving an overview of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games which took place in Buenos Aires.

A unanimous approval was obtained by the Board for the Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration, which aims to guide the actions of the Olympic Movement.

The Sport department continued with an outline of the upcoming IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue, focusing on the Holds, Macros and Volumes category, as well as proposing potential changes to the format and competition rules of Sport Climbing. A report was then presented by the Event Working Group detailing the format and athlete quota for IFSC Youth World Championships moving forward, then the Executive Board also discussed the athlete quota for the World Championships. The meeting came to a close following updates on Multi-sport Games (e.g. the World Urban Games and ANOC Beach Games), the IFSC Athletes Commission and future proposals and meetings.

The next Executive Board Meeting, to be held as a teleconference, will take place on Friday 11th January.

A summary of the Board’s decisions around the Combined Format, Olympic Qualifying Event, YWCH Format, World Cup Format and the 2019 World Championships can be found here.

Coverage of Buenos Aires 2018 made the third edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) the most digitally-consumed in the event’s eight-year history.

Digital platforms including BuenosAires2018.com, Olympic.org and olympicchannel.com
attracted 6 million unique users, generating 58 million page views. Some 188 million video views were registered across the Olympic Channel, YouTube and social media platforms, making digital viewership 94 times that of Nanjing 2014.

As part of the #GameChangers campaign that was launched ahead of the Games, athletes and fans were provided with digital tools to curate their own content. Some 122 million users viewed the digital sticker packs, while hundreds of athletes created their own animated GIFs which were seen by 28 million people. To reach new audiences who would not normally consume sport, a team of seven influencers worked with athletes to create engaging content that was seen by 12 million people. Social media coverage of Buenos Aires 2018 also saw significant traffic, with 713 million impressions engaging fans in Games-time content, medal moments, sports action, athlete takeovers, interviews and daily live shows.

Making its Youth Olympic Games debut, the Olympic Channel was the worldwide digital rights-holder for the first time, ensuring global coverage for the YOG. Users from 234 countries and territories visited the Olympic Channel platform during the Games, with the highest viewership coming from the host country of Argentina and 66 per cent of all traffic coming from mobile devices. Live events were a key driver of platform viewership, accounting for approximately 70 per cent of all video views with an average watch time of 8.32 minutes. To ensure that Olympic Channel content was accessible on multiple platforms, distribution was extended to 77 members from within the Olympic family, including International Sports Federations.

Visit Olympic.org for the full news.

The IOC Athletes' Commission is set to invite the largest ever contingent of international athlete representatives to Lausanne, Switzerland, from April 13th to 15th for the bi-annual IOC International Athletes' Forum.

The IOC Athletes' Commission Strategy was launched at the 2017 International Athletes’ Forum. At its core is the desire to further strengthen athlete representation in decision-making bodies, to make sure that the athletes' viewpoint is heard at the highest level across all Olympic Movement stakeholders, and to empower athletes’ commissions and their members to become effective leaders.

Athlete representatives from all 206 National Olympic Committee athletes’ commissions will be added to the list of invitees for the first time, increasing the expected participation to around 350 athlete representatives and making this the biggest ever gathering of its kind. Other participants on the IOC Athletes’ Commission’s invitation list include all the Olympic Summer and Winter International Sports Federations.

The full news can be found at Olympic.org here.

Host of the IFSC Youth World Championships and IFSC World Cup this year, Moscow added last week a third elite international Sport Climbing competition to its 2018 collection. The World Military Championships programme includes 25 sports recognised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), and the recently signed convention of collaboration between the CISM and the IFSC paved the way for Sport Climbing’s debut. The 1st edition of the CISM Climbing Indoor World Military Championships took place from November 28^th to December 2^nd and showcased the talent of top military Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing athletes.

Former IFSC World Cup season champions Mina Markovic and Domen Skofic concluded their 2018 tenures by setting the high points in qualifications and finals on Wednesday. Markovic climbed at least five moves higher than her competitors on every route and was the only woman in Moscow to clip the top chains. Skofic broke a four-way tie after qualifications and cracked the code to the crux sequence in finals to make it back-to-back wins for Slovenia.

The spotlight turned the following four days to the host nation of Russia. Aleksandr Shikov and previous world champion Anna Tsyganova recorded the fastest times in Speed qualifications and finals on Thursday and raced to first place in the standard record format. Shikov edged Amir Maimuratov of Kazakhstan in a close men’s big final by eight hundredths of a second. Less than one second decided the women’s big final as well, and Tsyganova maintained a steady pace to best Youth Olympian and compatriot Elena Krasovskaia.

One missed top was all it took to fall out of the running for first place in Bouldering. Krasovskaia and Aleksei Rubtsov set the bar high in qualifications on Friday and finals on Saturday by topping every problem. Rubtsov fell just once in the men’s qualification and showed perseverance in the final, using 13 attempts to top four problems and completing the sole top of the last problem for the victory. Krasovskaia showed equal spirit, fighting for tops until the very end to stand atop the podium. Austria also excelled in Bouldering and placed three athletes on the podiums.

Regarded as the home of Speed climbing, Russia featured a throwback to the classic format before the closing ceremony on Sunday. Athletes raced up two non-standardized routes of similar difficulty and were compared at each stage based on their aggregate time across the two routes. Krasovskaia and Evgeniya Lapshina guaranteed a win for Russia by reaching the women's big final, and Lapshina saved one second to take the victory. Shikov again met Maimuratov in the big final, claiming his second gold medal and sixth for Russia after a fall from Maimuratov.

More results, news and video highlights can be found on the Moscow event page for the World Military Championships, and follow the link below to see more than 500 pictures of the event on IFSC Flickr.

Pictures

The IFSC is calling for holds, macros and volumes providers/brands to apply for the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue.

To create a fairer playing field, the IFSC plans to improve consistency across international competitions by creating a catalogue of IFSC official holds, macros and volumes to be used at each event.

What are the benefits?

• The IFSC will publish the Official Sport Equipment Catalogue – Category: Holds, Macros, Volumes
• Being part of the IFSC Official Sport Equipment will grant access to all IFSC events
• Brands listed in the IFSC Catalogue can state that they are “Authorized Hold, Macros, Volumes manufacturer/brand by the IFSC”
• The set of climbing holds, macros and volumes for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be selected from the IFSC Official Sport Equipment Catalogue 2019

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or click here.

How to apply

Interested providers/brands should submit their applications to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 14th December 2018. Application forms can be found in the appendix here.

Ever wonder what it takes to train like an Olympian?

In an all new season of Hitting the Wall, fitness experts challenge themselves to the training regimens of Olympic athletes in 12 different sports. The original series premiered worldwide on Tuesday, 27th November on the Olympic Channel at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps.

In Episode 7, Cesar Grosso of Brazil shows what it takes to train for one of the newest Olympic sports: Sport Climbing. The full episode can be watched below, and visit the Olympic Channel for more Sport Climbing videos.

The United States won six gold medals, Canada's Zach Richardson stood atop the men's Bouldering podium and Danny Valencia of Ecuador clinched the men's Combined title in front of his home crowd at the 2018 PanAmerican Championship. Ecuador placed multiple athletes on the podiums during five days of high-level Bouldering, Lead, Speed and Combined climbing in Guayaquil. Argentina, Chile and Venezuela also claimed medals at the return of the PanAmerican Championship, previously held in 2012 in San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela.

The competition took place from November 22nd-26th, and Americans John Brosler and Piper Kelly opened the climbing on Thursday with unrivaled Speed. Six hundredths of a second separated Kelly and Andrea Rojas of Ecuador in the women's big final. Kelly recorded the fastest time of the day to take the victory, and Leslie Romero (VEN) joined them on the Speed podium. After falling in the opening round of the men's final, Brosler rebounded in subsequent races to surpass Ecuadorian medalists Valencia and Carlos Granja and recorded the fastest time among the men in the big final against Granja. Youth Olympians Alejandra Contreras (CHI) and Nickolaie Rivadeneira (ECU) just missed out on medals in Guayaquil.

Granja led the way in Bouldering qualifications the following day, the only athlete to top all five problems. In the spotlight at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last month, Valentina Aguado of Argentina continues to perform well at elite Sport Climbing events. Aguado and Kyra Condie (USA) were the sole women to top three problems on Friday and entered the 10-athlete Bouldering finals on Saturday as frontrunners.

Compatriots Sierra Blair-Coyle and Ashima Shiraishi (USA) started strong in the women's final, needing one attempt to top the first problem. Blair-Coyle kept the perfection across the second and third problems to earn a slim lead over Shiraishi by one top attempt. When no finalist topped the challenging fourth problem, Blair-Coyle sealed the victory by scoring a last zone point. Aguado edged Contreras for the bronze medal, requiring one less attempt to complete two tops. In the men's final, Richardson didn't back down after missing out on the first top. The 17-year-old was the only finalist to find a solution to the second problem and one of two athletes to complete the fourth problem, ending his round with a flash for the win. American teammates Palmer Larsen, Joseph Diaz and Rudolph Ruana took the next three places in the Bouldering results, scoring two tops and four zone points apiece.

Also 17 years old, Shiraishi was unstoppable in Lead qualifications and the 10-athlete finals on Sunday, topping every route she faced for the decisive victory. Ignacia Mellado Quinteros of Chile made her presence on the international stage known last week, climbing high on every route and falling just shy of the top in finals. Aguado also performed well in Lead finals to claim a second bronze medal. Kai Lightner (USA) added to his team's gold medal tally by topping both qualification routes and matching Valencia's high point in finals to place first. Ruana overcame an early fall on the first qualification route by topping the second route and climbing high in finals for the bronze medal.

The top six athletes competing in Bouldering, Lead and Speed qualified to compete in the Combined finals on Monday: Lightner, Ruana, Granja, Valencia, Brosler and Cesar Grosso (BRA) for the men; Aguado, Contreras, Rojas, Mellado Quinteros, Condie and Romero for the women. Speed played a decisive factor in the grand finale. Brosler and Rojas gained an early advantage by winning every race, including the big final against Granja and Romero which earned them third place on the Combined podium in the end. The small final played a decisive factor in first and second place as well. Lightner flashed all four Bouldering problems, but Valencia's quicker top on the Lead wall and victory in the small final against Lightner crowned him PanAmerican Champion in the Combined. Aguado topped quickest on the women's Lead route, but Condie's top of the final Bouldering problem and victory in the small final against Aguado handed her the women's Combined title and the United States a 6th gold medal.

Full results can be found on the dedicated Guayaquil event page, and click here to view pictures from the competition on IFSC Flickr.

In an opportunity to meet the Sport Climbing broadcasters for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, IFSC President Marco Maria Scolaris, Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer and Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel attended the China Open, Guangzhou, on November 16-18th.

The China Open, an International Climbing Series event and the final international IFSC competition of the 2018 season, was broadcast live by China Central Television (CCTV). Selected by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), a crew from CCTV will produce the Sport Climbing television broadcast on behalf of OBS in the sport's 2020 Olympic debut. As Sport Climbing is a new sport for both OBS (who produce the live television, radio and digital coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) and CCTV, the two will collaborate with the IFSC in preparing for the Tokyo 2020 broadcasting of our sport. OBS Coordinating Producer Haiwei Bobby Wang, Project Manager for Tokyo 2020 Sport Climbing events, was therefore also present in Guangzhou, as well as IFSC Consultant Steven Morris (Director Europe of Broadreach Media).

IFSC directors discussed the characteristics of Sport Climbing with CCTV and OBS, also exchanging over technical aspects and developing innovative ways to showcase our sport, ensuring that the 2020 Olympic footage displays our sport in its finest light.

“I was delighted to meet the CCTV crew responsible for producing our Olympic events,” declared IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer. “They put on a great production at the China Open with minimal guidance, demonstrating their professionalism and promising a fantastic show for the Tokyo Games. From now until 2020, we’ll be working closely with CCTV and OBS to develop new and exciting ways to broadcast our sport to the world.”

IFSC President Marco Scolaris and IFSC Consultant & Director Europe of Broadreach Media Steven Morris with members of the CCTV crew.

Inside the CCTV broadcast cabin at the China Open.

CCTV were accredited to film at the 2018 IFSC World Cups in both Wujiang and Xiamen, allowing the team to gain experience in filming Sport Climbing ahead of the China Open. The broadcasters plan to further their knowledge of shooting our sport by getting involved with a number of IFSC events in the run up to 2020. The IFSC will work alongside CCTV and OBS in 2019 to educate the broadcasters in both the competition rules and best practises in broadcasting our sport.

Whilst in Guangzhou, President Scolaris and the aforementioned IFSC directors met with IFSC partner KAILAS, where a strong bond between the climbing brand and the IFSC was further established. KAILAS is widely recognised across China as the most innovative and technical outdoor company, and is one of the IFSC’s main partners (apparel, ropes and safety gear). Since forming a partnership in 2013, the IFSC has noted multiple common values with KAILAS including accessible, healthy and educational activity for the younger generation and equality for men and women in Sport Climbing.

“KAILAS shares the IFSC’s desire to develop our sport amongst a youthful and ‘urban’ audience. Meeting with our partner at their Guangzhou headquarters demonstrated that they are the perfect companion to join Sport Climbing on its journey to Tokyo 2020,” stated President Scolaris.

IFSC Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel and Director Europe of Broadreach Media Steven Morris also spent a day in Beijing, taking the opportunity to meet with broadcasters CCTV, Tencent and Beijing TV to discuss future broadcasting opportunities for Sport Climbing in China. Connecting with Chinese broadcasters will support the IFSC and Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) in introducing our sport to a wider network in China.

“With only a small percentage of the Chinese population participating in Sport Climbing, there is a great potential for developing the sport in China,” said Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel. “There’s a vast market that we and the CMA are yet to tap in to, though we’re thrilled to see that the interest in our sport is beginning to increase.”

IFSC President Marco Scolaris met with CMA President M. Li Zhixin and Li Guowei, responsible for Sport Climbing within the CMA, to review the progression of the sport in China. The federations agreed to collaborate on a strategic plan to benefit Sport Climbing in China over the coming years, raising awareness and educating the Chinese population about the sport. Both the CMA and IFSC identified the 2020 Olympic broadcasting by CCTV as a huge advantage for Sport Climbing in China, creating a greater level of exposure for our sport than is currently seen within the country.

“The IFSC and CMA share a mutual goal of ensuring that Chinese athletes are presented with the greatest opportunities to progress in Sport Climbing,” reported President Scolaris. “By working together, we can and we will achieve this goal. The future of Sport Climbing in China is bright.”

The IFSC is looking for a consultant to conduct a global assessment of the climbing market.

Reporting to the IFSC President, the candidate will work remotely and have both experience and knowledge of Sport Climbing. After analysing the development of Sport Climbing, the consultant will then deliver recommendations to help the IFSC and the Climbing Community to address the interest of several non-endemic stakeholders for Sport Climbing. Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “Consulting service – Climbing market global assessment Application” in the subject line by December 1st 2018.

For the full job description, please click here.

The 2^nd edition of the China Open, now an International Climbing Series event, took place from November 16^th to 18^th in the familiar setting of Guangzhou, China. The unique event, designed by the CMA and IFSC, added some variations to the IFSC World Cup format and attracted season champions and world champions from around the globe. Three rounds of Bouldering, Lead and Speed were showcased – the 2^nd round in Speed determined seeding among the 16 men and women finalists based on time – and top-ranked athletes and top Chinese athletes received a bye into the 2^nd round (Full Rules).

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) medalist Vita Lukan (SLO) excelled in qualifications on Friday, joining Youth Olympians Keita Dohi (JPN) and YuFei Pan (CHN) in Bouldering semi-finals the following day. Pre-qualified athletes Janja Garnbret (SLO) and Jessica Pilz (AUT) stood out among a strong women’s field, the only athletes to top all four semi-final problems and two of the final problems. Pilz bested the Bouldering world champion by zone points, and 18-year-old Nanako Kura (JPN) joined them on the podium. Pan competed against multiple IFSC World Cup winners in the men’s final who scored two tops and four zone points. In the end, Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN) earned the victory over Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS) by zone point attempts, and 2018 season champion Jernej Kruder (SLO) followed with one more top attempt.

China’s own QiXin Zhong (CHN) impressed on Saturday evening, edging Aspar Jaelolo (INA) on the Speed climbing wall by one tenth of a second in the big final. Dmitrii Timofeev registered the fastest time of the competition in the seeding round and capitalized on a fall from world champion Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) in the small final. Aleksandra Rudzinska (POL) won every Speed competition in which she competed in 2018, including the China Open. The world champion frequently stopped the timer in under eight seconds and beat Mariia Krasavina (RUS) in the big final for her third victory this year. Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) registered the fastest time in the small final against Puji Lestari (INA) for 3^rd place.

Lead climbing concluded the Sport Climbing action in Guangzhou on Sunday. Lead world champion Pilz rose highest in semi-finals and finals, closing the women’s competition with a final top and her second victory of the weekend. Slovenia also excelled on the Lead wall. Season champion Garnbret and Mina Markovic fell just short of Pilz’s high point for 2^nd and 3^rd place, and Domen Skofic ended the men’s competition with a top of his own to keep Hyunbin Min (KOR) and Hiroto Shimizu (JPN) at bay. Pilz and Skofic’s victories in Lead come three weeks after they finished the IFSC World Cup season on top in Xiamen, China.

Full results can be found on the Guangzhou event page, and full replays of Bouldering, Lead and Speed finals and pictures can be viewed at the links below.

Bouldering Finals

Lead Finals

Speed Final

Pictures

The IFSC Executive Board held its monthly teleconference today, 14^th November, discussing developments within the IFSC and the journey towards the Olympic Games.

New IFSC member federations were first proposed to the board, before the topic turned to the IFSC Governance Working Group which formed in April this year. Updates from the Marketing & Communications department included the appointment of its latest Communications Assistant, Tamaris Higham, as well as key changes to marketing contracts. The IFSC office put forward a series of steps to be taken in a restructure of the IFSC.

A number of upcoming projects were outlined by the IFSC Sport department, with news from the Events Working Group and discussions around next year’s World Championship and Olympic Qualifying events. Olympic talk continued with Tokyo 2020 updates and a review of the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last month.

The Executive Board will meet in Torino, Italy, on December 3^rd-4^th 2018 for the annual EB meeting.

IFSC World Cup Event Organisers from across the globe gathered at the IFSC headquarters in Torino, Italy, on November 12^th-14^th to prepare for the 2019 season. IFSC and host nation representatives converged under one roof to support the growth of sport climbing and standardise the quality of future events.

The annual meeting kicked-off on Monday morning with a welcome from IFSC President Marco Scolaris, followed by presentations from IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru on event vision and direction, urban event format and the event observation program, and IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini on the official sport equipment project. IFSC Calendar Coordinator Alessandro Di Cato gave an overview of the 2019 season in the afternoon, before IFSC Consultant Steven Morris offered insight into expanding TV and media exposure.

“Sport climbing is entering a new stage, so it's important for all Event Organisers to meet together, to share their knowledge and discuss the direction in which we want to take our sport. Thanks to this meeting, I think we will see an improvement in IFSC events in 2019,” says Vice-President Toru.

Following the group discussions, each team of Event Organisers met individually with IFSC staff to review their respective events. These dedicated sessions continued throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, giving all organisers the chance to address their unique event challenges and opportunities.

“This meeting is beneficial for National Federations organising an IFSC event in 2019 or future years,” says President Scolaris. “Maintaining clear communication and sturdy relationships is fundamental to producing events which can better support the sport climbing movement worldwide. Together, we are stronger and everybody feels the responsibility to contribute to the growth of the sport”.

The annual Asian Championships took place this year on November 7^th-11^th in Kurayoshi, Japan, and athletes from Indonesia and Japan climbed to all but four spots on the Bouldering, Lead, Speed and Combined podiums.

Youth stars dominated in Bouldering finals on Friday. Five of the top six athletes were under 20 years old, including winners Futaba Ito and Meichi Narasaki of Japan. Ito edged compatriot Nanako Kura by top attempts and bested a stacked field of Japanese finalists which included Saki Kikuchi in 3^rd place, IFSC World Cup Bouldering season champion Miho Nonaka and Akiyo Noguchi. Narasaki, the only finalist who completed four tops, also prevailed among IFSC World Cup standouts and joined teammate Keita Watabe and recent Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 finalist YuFei Pan of China on the men’s podium. Click here to watch highlights of Bouldering finals on OlympicChannel.com, which featured Ito in the Olympic Channel original series Going Olympic: Tokyo 2020.

Indonesian athletes equally impressed on the Speed wall the following day, occupying five of the top six spots like Japan did in Bouldering. The men’s big final was nearly too close to call, with Alfian Muhammad and Sabri Sabri slapping the finishing pad atop the 15-metre Speed climbing wall at the same moment. Muhammad gained the victory by three thousandths of a second on the fastest time of the round (5.833 seconds), and Aspar Jaelolo raced past Veddriq Leonardo in a close small final. Sari Agustina kept a steady pace throughout the women’s Speed final and beat YiLing Song of China in the final race. Aries Susanti Rahayu scored the fastest time of the round (7.816 seconds) but settled for 3^rd place after committing a false start in the semi-final, and Iqomah Nurul placed 4^th.

On the Lead wall, Jain Kim topped four routes in Kurayoshi and earned a victory for Korea. Noguchi fell just shy of the top in finals and completed tops in every other round, and Mei Kotake joined them on the women’s podium. Countback to semi-finals separated a three-way tie in the men’s Lead final. Kokoro Fujii’s top in semi-finals handed him the win, followed by Hidemasa Nishida and Tomoaki Takata. Click here to watch Kim rise to the top and the thrilling Speed finish in the Olympic Channel video highlights.

In the Combined finals on Sunday, Japan concluded the Asian Championships by placing five more athletes on the podium as in Lead and Bouldering. After nonstop Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing between the six top men and women, Noguchi and Narasaki stood tallest and joined arms with Nonaka and Rei Sugimoto, Ito and Pan.

Complete results can be found on the Kurayoshi event page, and links to full replays and pictures provided by the event organisers are listed below.

Bouldering Semi-Finals

Lead Semi-Finals

Bouldering Finals

Speed Finals

Lead Final (Men)

Lead Final (Women)

Pictures

The IFSC is pleased to welcome Tamaris Higham to the Communications Team, who will be taking on the role of Communications Assistant in the exciting run up to the 2020 Olympics.

Fresh from a marketing position at the British Mountaineering Council and with a BSc in Marketing with Public Relations under her harness, Tamaris is set to tackle a multitude of changes to the IFSC’s communications over the next year. To do this, she will be working closely with Communications Director Anne Fuynel.

Tamaris is a self-confessed climbing addict, spending her free time climbing, bouldering, watching competitions and keeping up with the climbing community on Instagram.

Bassa Mawem soared to France’s 2nd Speed season title of 2018 at the last IFSC World Cup of the year in Xiamen, China, and Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA) rose to 2nd place on the season podium. In Lead, Domen Skofic (SLO) executed to stand on the season podium and Jessica Pilz (AUT) also won gold in Xiamen.

High stakes and low margins for error made the 8th and final Speed event of the 2018 season the most thrilling yet. After qualifications, four athletes were in the hunt for the men’s Speed season title. China’s own JinXin Li eliminated frontrunner Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) in the opening round, making the most of his quick start and capitalising on Boldyrev’s stumble midway. With Boldyrev out, runner-up Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) could have become Speed season champion by reaching the big final. Timofeev knocked off Speed legend QiXin Zhong of China in the quarterfinal but slipped in the semi-final and the Speed season title slipped from his grasp when Mawem stopped the clock three seconds sooner. Ranked 3rd and 4th before Xiamen, a final win from Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) or Mawem would be enough to clinch their first season title. Winner last weekend Aspar Jaelolo (INA) ended the dream for Alipourshenazandifar in the semi-final on the fastest time of the day (5.560 seconds), and Alipourshenazandifar settled for bronze in the small final. Under 6 seconds on every run this weekend, Mawem bested Jaelolo by two hundredths of a second in the big final to become Speed season champion in the last race of the season, France’s second Speed season title after Anouck Jaubert secured the honour for the second consecutive season last weekend. Boldyrev and Timofeev joined Mawem on the season podium after impressive seasons from both athletes.

The women’s Speed season podium came down to exciting final races in Xiamen as well. Elena Remizova (RUS) recorded multiple times under 8 seconds and eliminated season runner-up Mariia Krasavina (RUS) early in the quarterfinal, and previous Speed winner Susanti Rahayu hung on by one hundredth of a second in the quarterfinal against Elena Timofeeva (RUS). Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) recorded the fastest time of the day (7.400 seconds) to edge Remizova in the semi-final and secure a spot on the Speed season podium, and Susanti Rahayu advanced over Jaubert to meet Kaplina in the big final. Needing nothing short of a victory to bump Krasavina off the season podium, Susanti Rahayu did exactly that in Xiamen, keeping a steady pace as Kaplina slipped high on the wall for her third win in 2018 and 2nd place in the season ranking. Speed season champion Jaubert beat Remizova in the small final for bronze and Kaplina joined her on the season podium.

In the team Speed ranking, Russia extended their winning streak, the only team to top the ranking since the inception of the IFSC in 2007. With their strong performances in China at the end of the season, France and Indonesia placed 2nd and 3rd in the team ranking.

As the sun set behind the skyscrapers of Xiamen, the 7th and last Lead finals concluded the 2018 season. Jakob Schubert (AUT) and Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) had already secured 1st and 2nd place on the men’s Lead season podium, but Skofic could unseat Romain Desgranges (FRA) with a final victory if Desgranges placed worse than 5th. Hope remained when Desgranges and four other athletes fell near the first crux of the men’s final route, littered with tiny crimps and foot jibs. Hyunbin Min (KOR) was first to find alternative beta around the less positive holds and won the bronze medal, and Ghisolfi set a new high point in falling at the top hold. Last to climb, Skofic needed to rise to the same height to tie Desgranges for 3rd place in the Lead season rankings and share the last remaining spot on the Lead season podium. Skofic responded under pressure and duly matched Ghisolfi’s high point to take the victory in Xiamen on countback to their semi-final scores and join Desgranges on the third rung of the season podium.

Janja Garnbret (SLO), Pilz and Jain Kim (KOR) had already secured 1st, 2nd and 3rd place on the women’s Lead season podium in Wujiang, but that didn’t stop them from climbing hard in Xiamen. Kim just missed the finals cut and the chance to try the powerful and technical last route of the 2018 season. A complex crossover tired a few finalists at the first crux but not Garnbret and Pilz. Garnbret cut feet at the sequence and held on for the first top of finals. Pilz concluded a spectacular IFSC World Cup season with a top of her own and took the victory on countback to semi-finals in which she scored the sole top. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) also fought hard and fell just short of the top for bronze.

Despite the high climbing of Garnbret and Skofic, Japan moved into 2nd place above Slovenia in the team Lead ranking after sending six athletes to finals in Xiamen and all their athletes to semi-finals. Austria stayed in 1st place, an unrelenting force all season long.

This year, the Overall season titles were decided by a new calculation. Athletes competing in two or more Bouldering, Lead and Speed events were given ranking points based on their relative ranking against one another at counting events. Their top two events per discipline were counted, and the six ranking points were multiplied. In the end, Garnbret defended her Overall season title for the 3rd straight season and Schubert became Overall season champion for the 4th time thanks to their Bouldering and Lead prowess.

Full results, replays, photos and highlights can be found on the Xiamen event page, and click here to view all the 2018 season rankings.

Now in its 8th year, the annual Women’s Climbing Symposium (WCS) continues to grow and inspire action.

Organised by Bouldering star Shauna Coxsey (GBR) and most recently held on October 6th at HarroWall in London, the biggest edition yet included several IFSC athletes and former athletes as key speakers and guests. Aiming to connect, develop and inspire with stories from their outdoor and competition experiences, Anna Stöhr (AUT), Caroline Ciavaldini (FRA), and Beth Rodden (USA) headlined the event. A further eight focus talks were held by women, including current Paraclimbing athlete Isabella Walsh (GBR) and former competitor Nina Williams (USA).

Participants also had the opportunity to get involved and participate in several hands-on workshops. These workshops focused on a variety of climbing-related topics, from Bouldering technique to training and yoga. Coaches included seasoned competitors Leah Crane (GBR), Petra Klingler (SUI), Gracie Martin (GBR) and Coxsey.

More information can be found on the WCS website and in Red Bull's review of the event.

On October 24th, the IFSC Executive Board met to discuss ongoing projects and developments in the IFSC at its monthly teleconference.

With the Youth Olympic Games just happened in Buenos Aires, President Scolaris took the occasion to quickly sum up reporting the extremely positive feedback received after the first Olympics.
Vice President Kobinata Toru and Calendar Coordinator Alessandro Di Cato reported about the 2019 events updates and provide further information about the World Cup Calendar. In addition, Marketing and Communication Director Anne Fuynel introduced to the Board the new Communication Assistant Tamaris Higham and provide updates on the ongoing project. To conclude, Daniel Torchia, recently appointed as Paraclimbing Development Officer, presented the first report

The next IFSC Executive Board conference will be held on November 14th, 2018.

After months of elite Sport Climbing, the IFSC World Cup season concludes next weekend in Xiamen, China, the 7th Lead and 8th Speed events.

Janja Garnbret (SLO) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) clinched* the Lead season titles at IFSC World Cup Wujiang last weekend and Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) and Jessica Pilz (AUT) secured the next steps of the Lead season podium. Jain Kim (KOR) will join Garnbret and Pilz on the women's Lead podium at season's end, but the final spot on the men's Lead season podium has yet to be decided. After enduring longest on the semi-final route in Wujiang, Romain Desgranges (FRA) soared in the men's Lead season ranking. Even if Domen Skofic (SLO) takes the victory in Xiamen, two-time Lead season medalist Desgranges can remain on the Lead season podium for a third consecutive season by winning a medal in Xiamen. Austria, Slovenia and Japan hold the advantage in the team ranking for Lead, and strong performances at the last event could change the current ordering.

In Speed, Anouck Jaubert (FRA) was consistently quick in Wujiang and clinched the women's Speed season title, but the remaing spots on the men and women's Speed season podiums are up for grabs. Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) leads among the men, but Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS), Reza Alipourshenzandifar (IRI), Bassa Mawem (FRA) and Aleksandr Shilov (RUS) can all mathemetically overtake Boldyrev for the men's Speed season title. Russian teammates Iuliia Kaplina and Mariia Krasavina currently rank 3rd and 2nd among the women, but a surging Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA) could disrupt their plans. Russia has yet to lose the team ranking in Speed and is poised to continue their winning streak after dominating all season long, followed by France and Indonesia.

This year, the Overall season titles are decided by a new calculation. Athletes competing in two or more Bouldering, Lead and Speed events are given ranking points based on their relative ranking against one another at counting events. Their top two events per discipline are counted, and the six ranking points are multiplied. Garnbret and Schubert displaced Japanese teammates Tomoa Narasaki and Miho Nonaka from provisional 1st place in Wujiang, and both Overall season podiums will be decided in Xiamen.

The schedule, starters, 2017 highlights and more can be found on the Xiamen event page, and tune-in for the LIVE streaming of semi-final and final rounds on October 28th at ifsc-climbing.org.

*Note: As per Rule 11.7.4.ii, the worst score is dropped in the season ranking for athletes competing in all IFSC World Cup events of that disciplne.

Janja Garnbret (SLO), Anouck Jaubert (FRA) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) clinched season titles at the penultimate IFSC World Cup of 2018 in Wujiang, China, and Aspar Jaelolo and Aries Susanti Rahayu won Indonesia two gold medals. Romain Desgranges (FRA) and Jain Kim (KOR) also excelled in Wujiang.

The path wasn’t easy, but Jaubert found a way to secure* a second consecutive Speed season title at the penultimate event in Wujiang today. She bested teammate Aurelia Sarisson in the opening race of Speed finals, outpaced a fast Sari Agustina (INA) in the quarterfinal with a time under 8 seconds and slapped the finishing pad less than one second before Mariia Krasavina (RUS) to guarantee at least 2nd place in Wujiang, enough to remain Speed season champion. Susanti Rahayu recorded multiple times under 8 seconds in Wujiang, including the second fastest time of the day in the big final against Jaubert for her second victory this year. Only Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) was faster among the finalists (7.650 seconds), edging teammate Krasavina for bronze. MingWei Ni (CHN) performed well in front of her home crowd and finished in 7th place.

Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) and Ludovico Fossali (ITA) advanced past the opening round of the men’s Speed final in exciting races decided by hundredths of a second. Aleksandr Shilov (RUS) caught up to Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) in the quarterfinal to end his winning streak at two, and Jaelolo recorded the fastest time of the day in the quarterfinal (5.710 seconds). Jaelolo duplicated the feat against Alipourshenazandifar in the semi-final and held on in the big final against Fossali for Indonesia’s second gold medal in Wujiang. In the close small final against Shilov, Alipourshenazandifar stayed under 6 seconds for the fourth time today in as many races for bronze. JinXin Li of China finished in 6th place.

Heavy rain forced a cancellation of the Lead finals, and instead the results of semi-finals decided the Lead winners in Wujiang and Lead season champions. The women’s semi-final route centred on a challenging crux move to a distant pocket which only a handful of finalists mastered. Katharina Posch (AUT) was first to latch the hold and finished in 5th place. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) set a new high point at the headwall shortly after, a mark bested only by top-ranked Lead athletes Garnbret, Kim and Jessica Pilz (AUT). Pilz lasted one move more for third place and came up just short of the decisive positive movement to the next hold which Garnbret and Kim showed. Tied across semi-finals and qualifications, Garnbret and Kim tied for 1st place. The shared victory was enough for Garnbret to clinch a third consecutive Lead season title. Kim’s performance secured a spot on her 10th Lead season podium behind Garnbret and Pilz.

Most semi-finalists completed the jump on the sustained men’s semi-final route, a battle of endurance on the steepest section of the Lead wall. Hidemasa Nishida (JPN) was first to reach the headwall, and Hyunbin Min (KOR) fought the pump to collect one more hold and the bronze medal. In the end, Desgranges held on longest to take the victory and improved his positioning in the Lead season ranking, and Jakob Schubert (AUT) placed 2nd to secure the third Lead season title of his career. 5th in Wujiang, Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) clinched 2nd place in the Lead season ranking. Full results can be found on the Wujiang event page, and click here to view current season rankings.

*Note: As per Rule 11.7.4.ii, the worst score is dropped in the season ranking for athletes competing in all IFSC World Cup events of that disciplne.

Due to severe weather, the Lead finals at IFSC World Cup Wujiang were cancelled today when unexpected heavy rain created an uneven playing field during the round.

The results of the previous round (semi-finals) counted as the ranking of the cancelled round, as per Rule 6.1.2. Janja Garnbret and Jain Kim, tied after semi-finals, were both declared winners and earned 90 points each in the Lead season ranking, as per Rule 6.10.4, and Jessica Pilz placed 3rd. For the men, semi-final leaders Romain Desgranges, Jakob Schubert and Hyunbin Min placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

The full results and recap can be found on the Wujiang event page, and the world's best Lead and Speed climbing athletes will be back in action next weekend for the 2018 season finale at IFSC World Cup Xiamen.

REEL ROCK 13 debuts in Boulder, Colorado (USA), on November 1st, and Up to Speed is among the climbing films to be featured. Up to Speed dives into Speed climbing, one of three Sport Climbing disciplines comprising the Combined format of the recent Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

REEL ROCK correspondent Zachary Barr looks into the the role Speed climbing will play in shaping climbing's future while journeying from the US to France (the birthplace of modern Speed climbing) to South Asia (where Speed climbing is popular) and finally to Russia (where the first Speed climbing competitions were held). Men's Speed world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI), Speed legend Stanislav Kokorin (RUS), former youth world champions Claire Buhrfeind and Margo Hayes (USA), and John Brosler and Max Hammer (USA) make appearances along the way.

More information can be found at reelrocktour.com, and get a sneak peek of the action to come by watching the trailer below.

The 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games closed yesterday evening at the Youth Olympic Village in Buenos Aires, capping off 12 days of competition with 4,000 athletes and 8,000 volunteers and what IOC President Thomas Bach referred to as "truly the Youth Olympic Games of the new era."

Between 200,000 to 215,000 people attended the first Opening Ceremony of any Olympic Games to be held outside a stadium, in a city centre and open the public, the highest attendance in the modern history of the Olympic Games. Record attendance of the local population was also reached during the event, with 600,000 Youth Olympic Passes distributed and full crowds attending the men and women Combined finals of Sport Climbing.

"The mega trend in this world is that more and more people are moving into urban centres, so to reach these people, the sport has to go to the city centres," said Bach at the press conference preceding the Closing Ceremony.

The Youth Olympic Games featured an urban park concept, and competitions took place at multiple parks throughout the city of Buenos Aires. Sport Climbing, the only vertical sport on the programme, took place at the Urban Park where new sports competitions, street culture and new artistic expressions came together.

"The park concept, making the Games more urban, has been a massive success in Buenos Aires, bringing sport to the people. Sport nowadays is in competition with so many other options for leisure activities that we cannot only go to the stadiums and make the people (come) to us," said Bach.

Finally, the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires was the first Olympic event with full gender equality. At the Sport Climbing event, 21 male and 21 female youth stars climbed for the sport's first Youth Olympic medals.

"These Youth Olympic Games were more urban, more female, more inclusive than any edition of any Olympic Games before. They were extremely innovative from the beginning to the end," said Bach.

Visit olympicchannel.com  to watch the Closing Ceremony, and links to all replays and recaps can be found on the Buenos Aires event page. For Bach's complete remarks at the press conference, please click here.

After months of world-class climbing at IFSC World Cups all around the globe, the Lead, Speed and Overall season podiums will soon be decided at the final events in Wujiang and Xiamen, China.

Three leaders in the IFSC World Cup season rankings can clinch season titles with one more victory this month. After five Lead events, two-time Lead season champion Janja Garnbret (SLO) again stands atop the Lead season rankings. The Lead world champion has yet to place below 2nd this year and doing so again will secure a third consecutive title. Both Garnbret and runner-up Jessica Pilz (AUT) have already guaranteed spots on the Lead season podium, and only Pilz can unseat Garnbret. Whatever the outcome, it will have been a memorable year for Pilz, who already became Lead world champion last month and has placed 1st or 2nd at all but one Lead event so far. Three-time Lead season champion Jain Kim (KOR) improved her chances at joining them on the Lead season podium by climbing highest at the most recent event in Kranj.

Pilz’s teammate Jakob Schubert (AUT) leads the season rankings among male athletes. One more victory this weekend or the following weekend would seal a third Lead season title for Schubert, but the men’s Lead world champion will have to best Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) to do so. Qualifying for another final will land Ghisolfi on the Lead season podium, but the Kranj winner will have his sights set on the season title. Multiple athletes are competing for the last spot on the Lead season podium, including 2017 season champion Romain Desgranges (FRA) and Domen Skofic (SLO).

In Speed, last year’s season champion Anouck Jaubert (FRA) is on pace to defend her Speed season title. After six Speed events, Jaubert is the only female athlete to claim multiple victories, and she can stand atop a second consecutive season podium with another victory in China. Fast teams from Indonesia and Russia could change those plans. Mariia Krasavina (RUS) can secure a spot on the Speed season podium by placing 1st or 2nd at either event, and Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) is a strong contender to join them on the podium at season’s end. Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA), absent from the three previous Speed events, showed near record-breaking speed last time in China.

For the men, keep an eye on Speed leader Danyil Boldyrev (UKR). The former Speed season champion won the previous two Speed events and can clinch a spot on the season podium with one more victory. Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI), Bassa Mawem (FRA), Aleksandr Shikov (RUS) and Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) have also raced to Speed victories this season. The full list of starting athletes and more information can be found on the Wujiang and Xiamen event pages.

This year, the Overall season titles are decided by a new calculation. Athletes competing in two or more Bouldering, Lead and Speed events are given rankings points based on their relative ranking against one another at counting events. Their top two events per discipline are counted, and the six ranking points are multiplied. Currently, teammates Tomoa Narasaki and Miho Nonaka (JPN) lead the Overall season ranking, but more athletes could enter the ranks in China.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on October 21st and 28th to watch the live streaming of semi-finals and finals, and join the chat on Twitter during the shows at #IFSCwc!

Six Youth Olympians were awarded the first medals for Sport Climbing in an Olympic context last week, a historic victory for Sport Climbing and the climax of multiple memorable moments in Buenos Aires.

Keita Dohi and Vita Lukan’s power and poise in Bouldering, Sandra Lettner and Shuta Tanaka’s gravity-defying ascents in Lead and Sam Avezou and Laura Lammer’s tight finishes in Speed; none of the magical climbing would have been possible without the behind-the-scenes teams and structural foundation. Focusing on strict quality standards and teamwork with route setters, long-time IFSC partner ENTRE-PRISES (EP) provided all three of the Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing walls used at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, the focal points of the Urban Park venue which immediately caught the eye as they towered beside skyscrapers and surrounding greenery. The first Olympic climbing walls will continue to be a stage for the development of Sport Climbing in Argentina and South America, extending the legacy of the sport’s first Youth Olympic Games beyond 2018.

“We are proud to be an Official Provider of Buenos Aires 2018, to have made possible the fantastic performances of the very best youth Sport Climbing athletes in the world and to have embodied the urban, youthful atmosphere of these Youth Olympic Games and shared values of our sport with our climbing walls. The Olympic journey doesn’t stop here, and we are excited to keep bringing over 30 years of experience on the climb together,” says EP CEO Eric Surdej.

In an Olympic first, an even number of men and women athletes competed in Buenos Aires, including 21 men and 21 women Sport Climbing athletes from 25 countries and 5 continents, already game changers. Athlete Role Models Charlotte Durif and Josh Levin also represented Sport Climbing throughout the event, and Durif presented during the 1st Olympism in Action Forum, which focused on using sport for good.

"Modern trends and challenges were discussed in my working zone with athletes and researchers from around the world of different sport backgrounds, and I was delighted to contribute the unique perspective of Sport Climbing as a young, urban, accessible sport with sustainability in its roots,” says Durif.

Before the last climber returned to the ground, IOC President Thomas Bach watched the final round alongside IFSC President Marco Scolaris, IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru, IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych, Durif and Levin and Argentina’s own Valentina Aguado, who placed 9th.

“It’s a gold medal for the athletes, but it’s also a gold medal for Sport Climbing and the IFSC family,” says Scolaris. “We have long been working towards the Olympic Dream, and this end is just the beginning. The climb to Tokyo and a permanent Olympic bid is on.”

The Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires concludes with the Closing Ceremony today, October 18th, LIVE at ifsc-climbing.org at 19:30 GMT-3 (local time). Links to all the Olympic Channel replays can be found here.

It was with a heavy heart that the IOC announced the death of Mr Patrick BAUMANN, IOC Member in Switzerland, in Buenos Aires, this Sunday.

"Patrick Baumann was one of us: he loved our sport. He loved the youth appeal and freshness, the friendship and the good spirt that animate our community, all aspects which belong to his personality. And he was with us, at the climbing wall, a few minutes before he passed away, making jokes and laughing, as he was always doing. In the last two years we have worked very hard together in Tokyo, since we are sharing the venue with basketball 3x3, one of his creatures. The sport world loses a great leader, we lose a great friend. Wordless in front of this tragedy, our thoughts are with his wife, his kids and his family… Ciao Patrick!", Marco SCOLARIS, IFSC President.

Patrick Baumann was a central figure in the Olympic Movement. He was 51.

A former player, coach and referee, Patrick Baumann dedicated his life to basketball and to the sports community. He was Deputy Secretary General (1995-2002) of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and then unanimously appointed as Secretary General by the FIBA Central Board in 2002, a role he had held since. He was greatly instrumental in the transformation and growth of the sport in the international basketball community, successfully supporting the popularisation of 3x3 basketball, for instance.

An IOC Member since 2007, he had been recently appointed as a member (2016-2017) then Chair (2017) of the Evaluation Commission for the Games of XXXIII Olympiad in 2024, then Vice-Chair of the Coordination Commission for the Games of XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 after the French capital won the right to host the Olympic Games 2024. He was also Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Los Angeles 2028, helping the two host cities to work closely with each other.

A Swiss national, Patrick Baumann was also President of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee.

Patrick Baumann had continuously and actively participated in the IOC’s development throughout his mandate, as a member in the following IOC Commissions: Evaluation for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in 2008 (as an IF representative) (2000-2001), Coordination for the Games of the XXX Olympiad London 2012 (2007-2012), International Relations (2008-2014), Sport and Law (2010-2014), Evaluation for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020 (2013), Entourage (2014-2015), Marketing (2014-), Athletes' Entourage (2015-2018) and Legal Affairs (2017-2018).

Able to speak five languages, Patrick Baumann had a remarkable academic record: an MBA from the Business School of the University of Chicago, a Master’s in Sports Administration Management (MEMOS) from the University of Lyon in France and a law degree from the University of Lausanne.

A man of numerous talents, as a lawyer he always demonstrated a great sense of responsibility: he was appointed to the International Advisory Board of the World Academy of Sport in 2009, had been a member of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) since 2010, and was also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Patrick Baumann was elected as a Council member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) in 2011 and re-elected in 2015; he was elected as President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in 2016; and as President of SportAccord in 2017.

All the IFSC team expresses its deepest sympathies to Mr Baumann’s family.

Keita Dohi of Japan became Sport Climbing’s first Youth Olympic Games gold medalist among male athletes in Buenos Aires today, and fellow Youth Olympians Shuta Tanaka of Japan and Sam Avezou of France were awarded the silver and bronze medals.

A new day, a new set of game changers set their eyes on Youth Olympic medals in the men’s final on Wednesday. Avezou, fastest among losing athletes in the qualification races, rebounded in the next race against YuFei Pan (CHN) and didn’t slip once. Exciting races for 1st and 3rd place concluded the Speed final. Pan held on to slap the pad less than two tenths of a second before Filip Schenk (ITA). Dohi scored only times below 8 seconds in the round but Avezou, behind at the start of the race, caught up just in time to place 1st in Speed by four hundredths of a second.

All six finalists topped the first two Bouldering problems in the late morning sun, and Pan and Schenk took an early lead by doing so on their first attempts. Their streak of tops ended on the slab problem, and Dohi took advantage of the opportunity by inching his way to the top hold on his first try. Petar Ivanov (BUL) and Tanaka stuck the big opening swing of the final problem which bested Avezou, but only Dohi and Schenk connected all the power moves. The sole athlete with four tops, Dohi took the lead in the Combined ranking with one discipline remaining.

The finalists put on a show of endurance on the men’s Lead route, which culminated in a powerful traverse at the top just as foot holds disappeared. Pan executed well-placed heel-hooks to hang on for the first top but missed out on a medal in Buenos Aires. Tanaka repeated the feat immediately after Pan in quicker time, putting him in good standing for a medal. Avezou and Schenk were in contention for gold until they fell at the concluding crux sequence. Dohi, already the first ever men’s gold medallist in Sport Climbing at the Youth Olympic Games, rose to the penultimate hold in front of the cheering crowd for good measure. Silver medallist Tanaka made it two Japanese athletes on the podium with his quick ascent, two years before the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Avezou won France the bronze medal.

Replays, results, highlights, photos, news and more can be found on the Buenos Aires event page, and stay tuned for more from the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires!

Sandra Lettner of Austria became Sport Climbing’s first Youth Olympic Games gold medalist in Buenos Aires today, and fellow Youth Olympians Vita Lukan of Slovenia and Austrian Laura Lammer were awarded the silver and bronze medals.

Quick steps in Speed, last second efforts in Bouldering and short rests in Lead, the smallest of movements made the difference in the women’s Combined final today. Lammer gained an early advantage in the morning by placing 1st in the Speed discipline. She raced smoothly on the 15-metre Speed climbing wall in the quarterfinal and edged teammate Lettner in a close semi-final, both athletes racing to times under 10 seconds. Elena Krasovskaia (RUS) eliminated Hannah Meul (GER) in the semi-final – who advanced with the best time among quarterfinal losing athletes – on the fastest time of the entire round. Two early slips proved costly for Krasovskaia in the 1st place race, and Lammer regained her footing after slipping high up the wall to seal 1st place in Speed. In the 3rd place race, Lettner got off to a quick start against Meul and never gave up the lead.

Blank volumes with only tiny foot holds and sparse hand holds screwed on challenged the six finalists on the short Bouldering wall – where the finalists had 4 minutes to top 4 individual problems. Vita Lukan (SLO) stretched her body to the limit in catching a dynamic toe hook to stay on W1 and continued upward for the first top of the round. Mao Nakamura (JPN) flashed the problem to take an early lead, and Lammer and Lettner also topped. The finalists leapt from the starting hold of W2, and five athletes connected all the big moves. Lettner, Lukan and Nakamura continued to find solutions on the W3 slab, displaying a combination of balance and technique. Lettner stayed in the hunt for the best result in Bouldering by creeping her hands to the top hold with five seconds left on the clock. Ahead by top attempts – the second tie-breaker after zone points – Lukan sealed 1st place in Bouldering and improved her positioning in the Combined ranking by flashing the concluding power problem. Every athlete topped W4, including Nakamura who flashed to place 2nd behind Lukan by one top attempt, followed just as closely by Lettner. Lammer maintained her spot atop the Combined ranking by topping three problems.

Speed made the difference on the forearm-pumping Lead route – where the goal is to reach the top hold and time breaks ties. Multiple athletes showed incredible endurance by rising to the top hold of the towering Lead climbing wall. Meul completed the first top of the round, followed by Krasovskaia who didn’t let go until the very last draw was clipped. Lettner and Lukan completed tops as well, leaving Lammer to decide the medals as the Combined leader and last climber of the day. Lammer endured until the last moves and fell two holds shy of the top hold, and Meul placed 1st in Lead with the fastest top. Six seconds faster on the Lead route, Lettner tied Lukan in the Combined ranking and won the first gold medal for Sport Climbing at the Youth Olympic Games by placing better than Lukan in two of the three disciplines – the Combined tie-breaker. Bouldering winner Lukan won the silver medal, scoring well in Bouldering and Lead. Lammer and Muel tied in the Combined ranking as well, and Lammer claimed Austria’s second medal in Buenos Aires by scoring better than Meul in Bouldering and Speed.

Replays and results can be found on the Buenos Aires event page, and tune-in for the next LIVE streaming tomorrow, October 10th, at ifsc-climbing.org starting from 9:00 GMT-3 (local time). More Sport Climbing medalists at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires will be decided with the men’s Combined final!

Combined qualifications at the first Youth Olympic Games for Sport Climbing in Buenos Aires continued today with 21 male athletes from 16 countries, all vying for a spot in the 6-man final.

Blink too many times and you would have missed the beginning of the round, which opened with blistering fast climbing on the Speed wall. Ecuadorian speedster Nickolaie Rivadeneira scored the first quick time (7.056 seconds), matched immediately by Yaroslav Tkach of Ukraine in the following race. Seongmin Eom (KOR) and DiChong Huang (CHN) also excelled in their first run to place among the leaders (7.16 seconds; 7.15 seconds). Multiple athletes improved on their second run, including India’s Bharath Pereira (7.17 seconds), but Donghyun Jang of Korea and Tkach stood out as the only athletes to stop the timer with less than 7 seconds remaining on the clock to place 1st and 2nd in Speed. Before the racing was over, Sam Avezou of France soared to 3rd place in the last race (7.055), a crucial advantage for the Bouldering and Lead standout.

The Bouldering kicked-off with several tops of M1. The athletes balanced on teardrop volumes before jumping to thin finger rails and pulling up with only their arms to the final hold. Pereira, the first climber, worked out the solution in 5 attempts, followed shortly by David Naude of South Africa, Galo Hernandez of Ecuador and other game changers of Sport Climbing. Lukas Franckaert (BEL) was the first athlete to top two problems, finishing with a top of the W4 slab which six other athletes mastered, including Petar Ivanov of Bulgaria and Keita Dohi of Japan. Dohi impressed by piecing together the first tops of a dynamic M3 and M2, keeping the tension on powerful moves across sleek volumes while holding on to nearly flat screw-on crimps. Dohi solidified his 1st place in Bouldering with a final top, the only athlete to complete all four problems. Ivanov placed 2nd with three tops, fighting to the top of M3 and just missing out on a top of M2.

Hernandez set the first formidable high point on the steep Lead route, pushing past the previous climbers’ marks and slapping one hand on the headwall before falling. Nicolai Uznik (AUT) rose to an even greater height, swinging into the sky just a few moves from the top hold. YuFei Pan of China completed the first top in Lead at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, fighting the pump to reach the top of the wall and leaping for the top hold before clipping the final draw. Shuta Tanaka of Japan gave the crowd more to cheer for with a top of his one and moved ahead of Pan by taking less time to top. Avezou and Ivanov came up just shy of the top, but their 5th and 4th place still earned them spots in the Combined final. Finally, Filip Schenk (ITA) secured the third top of the day with a time between Pan and Tanaka’s to join them in the final.

Finalists Dohi, Avezou, Tanaka, Ivanov, Schenk, and Pan will climb again in the men’s Combined final on Wednesday, October 10th. Qualification replays and results can be found on the Buenos Aires event page, and tune-in for the next LIVE streaming tomorrow, October 9th, starting from 9:00 GMT-3 (local time) at ifsc-climbing.org. The first Sport Climbing winners of Youth Olympic medals will be decided with the women’s Combined final!

21 women athletes from 15 countries took to the climbing walls in the Urban Park venue today, beginning the Sport Climbing competition. Athletes climbed in the order of Speed, Bouldering and then Lead and were ranked by the combination of their results, with only the top 6 athletes advancing to finals.

The first Youth Olympians of Sport Climbing twice raced side-by-side on the two-lane, 15-metre Speed wall, their top time counting. Seven game changers clocked times under ten seconds, including twin sisters Aleksandra and Natalia Kalucka of Poland. After a fall on her first run, A. Kalucka found redemption on the second run by racing to the top of the scoreboard (8.10 seconds), and N. Kalucka placed just behind her (8.31 seconds), the only athletes to stop the timer in under nine seconds. South American athletes Alejandra Contreras (CHI) and Argentina’s Valentina Aguado performed well in Speed, finishing in under ten seconds too. Elena Krasovskaia (RUS) (the youngest Combined world champion ever) and Laura Lammer (AUT) placed ahead of them, and their teammates Luiza Emeleva (RUS) and Sandra Lettner (AUT) also posted fast times.

The pace changed on the Bouldering wall later in the morning, testing Sport Climbing’s game changers in a new fashion. Athletes worked through four sets of challenging moves (problems) to reach the top hold, ranked first by tops completed, then zone points completed (points assigned to a difficult-to-reach hold on each problem), followed by the number of attempts required to obtain the tops, and finally number of attempts to score the zone points. Balance and technique were required to complete the opening slab problem (W1) as athletes tip-toed across slippery volumes, with only tiny hand holds for support. Many of the first climbers struggled to transition from the zone point to the top hold but not Mao Nakamura of Japan, who completed the first problem and the three remaining ones to take an early lead. Smart and strong climbing carried the athletes across the heel-hook, barn-door swing and shoulder press on W2, and Emeleva and Meul also connected all the moves. More athletes joined the hunt with tops of the dynamic W3, including Vita Lukan of Slovenia and Aguado, cheered on by her home crowd. Several athletes excelled on W4, curling their fingers over tiny crimps screwed on to blank volumes, their only help to the top. With their triumphs in Bouldering and Speed, Nakamura and A. Kalucka led the way in the Combined ranking before the Lead climbing.

The women’s Combined qualification concluded on the towering Lead wall as the youth stars soared into the sky beside the skyscrapers of Buenos Aires. The goal in Lead is to climb as high as possible, with time breaking ties. A sustained route tested the athletes’ endurance and their ability to conserve energy through precise movements and well-executed rests. Nolwenn Arc of France kicked-off the high climbing, finding heel hooks to shake-out and fight the pump within a few holds from the top hold. Lukan later matched Arc’s mark and moved ahead with a faster time, a lead which stood until the last athlete. Lettner closed the round with a nearly flawless climb, grabbing one more hold than Arc and Lukan to top the results in Lead.

Lettner, Lukan, Krasovskaia, Nakamura, Meul and Lammer all advanced to the women’s Combined final on Tuesday, October 9th. Results and replays can be found on the Buenos Aires event page, and tune-in for the LIVE streaming of the men’s Combined qualification tomorrow on the IFSC homepage, starting at 9:00 GMT-3 (local time).

The 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires got off to a great start yesterday. For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the Opening Ceremony was held in the street, with the celebration open to all, and over 200,000 people showed up for the party!

The final part of the Ceremony saw the Youth Olympic flame being passed between several young Argentinian athletes representing all the other athletes, the #GameChangers, who will be inspiring the public over the next 12 days of competition. The flame will now be moved to the Youth Olympic Park, where it will continue to burn until the end of the Games on 18 October.

Addressing the young athletes in his speech, IOC President Thomas Bach said:
“To get here, each of you trained and competed hard. You gave your best in the sport you love so much. This is why you deserve to be here, at your Games. Every athlete is different. We all come from different parts of the world and have different cultures. But we are all united by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Guided by these Olympic values, each one of you makes a difference in sport and in life. This experience will stay with you for all your life. We are all assembled here to celebrate you, as the real game-changers.”

Watch the full replay of the Opening Ceremony on olympicchannel.com here, and click here to read the complete news. The next LIVE streaming will take place Sunday, October 7th, at ifsc-climbing.org with the women's Combined qualification. The complete schedule and more information can be found on the Buenos Aires event page.

Join us in welcoming Sport Climbing and its game changers to the Olympic stage!

Today, the Youth Olympic Games opens in Buenos Aires, and LIVE streaming of the Opening Ceremony will be shown at ifsc-climbing.org, provided by the Olympic Channel. Tune-in at 20:00 GMT-3 (local time) to watch the show, and get a sneak peak of the action to come by clicking on the link below to watch the preview.

Buenos Aires Event Page

The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 has a song!

The lyrics of “Vamos Juntos (Alive)” reference the athletes’ ability to overcome all obstacles with passion, effort and dedication. The song also mentions the motto of Buenos Aires 2018, “Feel the Future”, which expresses the hope that union in diversity, as displayed by more than 4,000 athletes from 206 countries participating in the Games, will inspire youth of the world to embrace sports.

Visit the complete news at BuenosAires2018.com for the full lyrics, or watch the video below. “Alive” will also be performed on October 6th at the Opening Ceremony, to be held at the iconic Obelisk of Buenos Aires, the first Opening Ceremony in the history of the Olympic Games to take place outside a stadium and open to the public. Watch it LIVE at ifsc-climbing.org at 20:00 GMT-3 (local time), courtesy of the Olympic Channel.

This Saturday, the 3rd edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games opens in Buenos Aires, Argentina, welcoming to the Olympics the first ever Youth Olympians of Sport Climbing, game changers of the sport.

The Sport Climbing qualification events for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 gathered the best of the best Bouldering, Lead and Speed athletes – of the ages 16 and 17 in 2017 – at youth championships around the globe. Among hundreds of competitors, top athletes at the IFSC Youth World Championships in 2017 earned a spot in Buenos Aires, the first appearance of Sport Climbing in an Olympic context. The remaining athletes mastered their respective Youth Continental Championships in 2017 in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and PanAmerica, where youth stars qualified to compete on their home continent with Argentina native Valentina Aguado, profiled on OlympicChannel.com as a hero of the future. Finally, in September the quota for Sport Climbing expanded.

42 qualified athletes of Sport Climbing representing 25 countries, an even number of female and male athletes at the first Olympic competition with strict gender equality, have continued to be game changers on the world stage in 2018. In the IFSC World Cup series, Sandra Lettner (AUT) opened the 2018 season by solving multiple problems in Bouldering finals to place 4th in April behind IFSC World Cup season champions. Shuta Tanaka (JPN) endured among former IFSC World Cup season champions too on towering Lead walls to place 5th and 6th in July, and no female qualified athlete raced faster on the standard Speed wall than Aleksandra Kalucka (POL), who challenged Speed world record holders to place 4th and 5th. Sam Avezou (FRA), Natalia Kalucka (POL), Vita Lukan (SLO) and Laura Rogora (ITA) claimed victories at the IFSC Youth World Championships this year in August, and the Kalucka sisters and Rogora all climbed in finals among elite Sport Climbing athletes at the biannual IFSC World Championships last month. Photos of the qualified athletes competing on the climb to Buenos Aires can be found on IFSC Flickr.

Buenos Aires 2018 will measure not only performance in a single discipline but all-around success across all three disciplines of Sport Climbing. Like the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, athletes will be required to compete in Speed, Bouldering and then Lead and will be ranked according to their Combined result. More information on the Olympic Format can be found here.

The full list of qualified athletes and provisional programme for Sport Climbing can be found on the dedicated Buenos Aires event page on the IFSC website. Tune-in to the IFSC homepage October 6th-10th to watch the live streaming of the Opening Ceremony and every Combined qualification and final round provided by OlympicChannel.com, streaming round-the-clock the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. Replays, results, highlights and photos will be shared on the Buenos Aires event page, and join the chat on social media at #ClimbToBuenosAires #YOGjourney #GameChangers #YouthOlympics #BuenosAires2018

Buenos Aires Event Page

Full Preview Press Release

The Opening Ceremony and every round of Sport Climbing at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will be LIVE streamed on the IFSC homepage! The LIVE streaming is presented by the Olympic Channel, providing comprehensive round-the-clock coverage of the event.

The Olympic Channel’s multi-platform coverage starts on Saturday, October 6^th at 8:00 GMT-3 (local time) with the Opening Ceremony, LIVE from Buenos Aires’ iconic Obelisco. Qualifications and Finals of the Combined competition in Sport Climbing will be LIVE from Sunday to Wednesday, October 7^th to 10^th. The full provisional programme can be found on the dedicated Buenos Aires event page of the IFSC website, where links to replays, results, highlights and photos will be shared throughout the event.

Buenos Aires 2018 programming on the Olympic Channel includes:

24/7 Coverage
Viewers can watch the 24/7 Youth Olympic Games Channel at any time from 6 to 18 October on the Olympic Channel and YouTube. The round-the-clock streaming channel features both live and tape-delayed event coverage and daily highlights shows.

Live Streaming
Event coverage across the YOG competition is available both live and on-demand on the Olympic Channel at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps.

YOG Daily
The “YOG Daily” show will feature a lively look at the news, trending stores, highlights and interviews in a round-up of the day’s events in a fun and interactive format. Available live on Facebook and Twitter daily at 1 p.m. local time.

Olympic Channel Podcast
Featuring insightful interviews across the Olympic world, the Olympic Channel will produce a daily podcast during the YOG for an in-depth look at the personalities, stories and competition in Buenos Aires.

Schedules and Results
To keep on top of the action in Buenos Aires, fans can find event and live streaming schedules, results and medal standings on olympicchannel.com.

Social Media
Fans can also follow the Olympic Channel’s coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to learn more about the sports featured at the YOG as well as take part of the fun by interacting with athletes and for behind-the-scenes action.

Janja Garnbret (SLO) was awarded Athlete of September 2018 by The World Games Association!

Garnbret, 19 years old, is The World Games 2017 silver medallist in Lead, and at the most recent IFSC World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, she took gold in Bouldering, silver in Lead and gold in the Combined event, featuring the Combined format of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Combined and Lead season champion in 2016 and 2017, Garnbret placed 1^st or 2^nd in all but eight Bouldering and Lead IFSC World Cup events in which she competed since the beginning of the 2016 season. In 2016, the Slovenian star also won gold in Lead at the biannual IFSC World Championships and topped the Bouldering and Lead results at the IFSC Youth World Championships.

Garnbret started competing when she was 14 years old:
"Through the years I started training harder and harder, and I realised that I could become the best climber in the world. I love it when adrenaline goes through your veins, when you are on your own on the wall and you try to give your best and utilise everything from your training. Everyone is watching and cheering for you," says Garnbret.

Besides school and climbing, she does not have time for much else:
"And even if I had time for anything else, I would still go climbing," she laughs.

As a piece of advice for young athletes, Garnbret says:
"Focus on your goals, work hard for them and never give up."

Stefano Ghisolfi of Italy and Jain Kim of Korea returned to the top of the IFSC World Cup podium at the 5th Lead event of 2018 in Kranj, Slovenia.

Italy and Japan excelled in the men’s semi-final, each team sending three athletes to finals in Kranj, hosting Lead World Cup events since 1996. Big moves and an early nerve-testing jump opened the men’s final route, followed by a bat-hang at the route’s most over-hanging section as it curved across the short but challenging Lead wall. Marcello Bombardi of Italy began the final by setting a formidable high point just over a handful of moves from the top hold, but Japan’s Masahiro Higuchi efficiently solved the first crux move at the bat-hang to match Bombardi’s high point for his first IFSC World Cup medal on countback to their semi-final scores. Ghisolfi cruised through the first crux as well and fought the pump on the concluding moves to complete the first top in finals and secure a medal in Kranj. That medal turned to gold when Lead world champion Jakob Schubert (AUT), powering his way to the top hold, peeled off the last move to place 2nd. It was the 2nd victory for Ghisolfi this year, who improved to 29 points behind Schubert in the Lead season rankings with only two events remaining. Veteran Sean McColl (CAN), competing in his first Lead final this season, wowed the crowd with an eye-popping one-handed grab at the dyno and finished in 5th place. Yuki Hada and Kokoro Fujii of Japan and Italy’s Francesco Vettorata also competed in finals and climbed well this weekend.

Three Austrian and two Slovenian athletes advanced to the women’s final in Kranj. Big moves started the women’s final route too, with another risky jump early on the wall followed by technical positioning to conserve energy and maintain friction on the overhanging sections of the route. Austrian Katharina Posch started strong by sticking the jump and continuing onward for an early lead. The next three finalists dropped at the dyno: veteran Mina Markovic of Slovenia, competing in her 15th Lead World Cup in Kranj, and Katherine Choong (SUI) and 16-year-old Natsumi Hirano (JPN), IFSC World Cup finalists for the first time. Hannah Schubert stuck the jump and surpassed teammate Posch’s high point for her first IFSC World Cup medal, falling at the steepest section of the Lead wall where footholds disappear and handholds become even more slippery. Lead season frontrunner Janja Garnbret of Slovenia fell at the same upper crux move, moving ahead on countback to their semi-final scores but leaving the door open for Lead world champion Jessica Pilz of Austria and Kim. Only Garnbret and Pilz had won gold medals in Lead this season before Kranj, but that changed when Pilz struggled at the technical moves following the jump to finish between teammates Schubert and Posch. Last to climb in Kranj, Kim held the crux sloper and rose to the headwall for her 28th IFSC World Cup victory. Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes Vita Lukan and Lucka Rakovec of Slovenia placed 20th and 24th at home, one week before Buenos Aires. Visit the Kranj event page for full results and replays.

The IFSC World Cup season concludes with the 2nd stage of the 2018 China Tour in Wujiang and Xiamen, the final Lead and Speed events. Tune-in for the LIVE streaming of semi-final and final rounds on October 21st and 28th. The schedules, starters and 2017 highlights can be found on the Wujiang and Xiamen event pages.

The IOC informed the IFSC shortly before the deadline for entries in September that another quota, 1 female athlete and 1 male athlete, is given to the Sport Climbing event at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. The additional quota raises the number of qualified athletes to 21 female athletes and 21 male athletes.

This increase was decided in order to ensure the largest engagement possible of the local audience in front of their national athletes and the largest participation of athletes and countries in Buenos Aires, while staying inside the overall number of participating athletes at the 3rd edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games.

"We welcome with pleasure the arrival of two new athletes and new countries. This will be the first Olympic event ever for Sport Climbing and the larger the participation, the stronger the legacy and excitement on the road to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," says Jérôme Meyer, IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination.

The IFSC is pleased to welcome Daniel Torchia, who is joining the team as Paraclimbing Development Officer.

Daniel will be based at the IFSC Headquarters in Torino. He received his doctorate in Business and Management in January 2017 from the University of Manchester, UK, with a thesis on alternative forms of organizations in football. As part of his fieldwork, he worked for over a year as Community and Development Assistant for FC United of Manchester, a fan-owned football club in Manchester that puts community, inclusion and democracy at the heart of their project. This experience was seminal for Daniel to conceive sport as a social development tool, and this desire translated in the current project at IFSC, contributing to the growth of Paraclimbing at a worldwide level. Daniel has also held research and lecturing post at Staffordshire University, the University of Manchester and at the University of Turin, as well as internship experiences at Alenia Aeronautica and NASA.

Two weeks after the conclusion of the IFSC World Championships, Lead world champions Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert (AUT), Combined world champions Janja Garnbret of Slovenia and Schubert and Bouldering world champion Kai Harada (JPN) head to Kranj, Slovenia, for the 5th Lead event of the 2018 IFSC World Cup season.

Kranj, hosting Lead World Cup events since 1996, again plays a pivotal role in the Lead season this year. Lead athletes are competing for positioning in the season rankings before the two concluding events in October, and performances in Kranj could decide final podiums.

Garnbret and Pilz have dominated all season long, occupying 1st and 2nd place among women athletes at the first four Lead events of 2018 in July. Pilz gained momentum on the biggest stage this month, arriving at the top hold quicker in finals to best Garnbret at the biannual IFSC World Championships. Garnbret ranks 1st in the IFSC World Cup season rankings for Lead after connecting back-to-back wins, and the reigning Lead season champion will be climbing at home where she won gold in 2017. Another medal for Garnbret and 1st place for Pilz would clinch spots on the Lead season podium for both athletes. Multiple athletes are strong contenders to join them on the Lead season podium, including Manon Hily of France and 2017 medallists Jain Kim (KOR) and Anak Verhoeven (BEL). Also keep an eye on Slovenia’s own Tjasa Kalan and veteran Mina Markovic, both ranked in the top ten and set to climb alongside Garnbret in front of their home crowd.

Schubert is the only athlete to win multiple gold medals this year in Lead for the men, having won the most recent IFSC World Cup in Lead and the first Lead event of the season. Fresh off his victories at the IFSC World Championships 2018, another triumph this weekend in Kranj would make it even more difficult to unseat Schubert from the Lead season podium. Reigning Lead season champion Romain Desgranges (FRA) and Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) will try to end his winning streak, and Domen Skofic of Slovenia is also on the start list.

Qualified athletes for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 have been game changers in the IFSC World Cup series this year, and three of them are registered to compete in Kranj before the debut of Sport Climbing on the Olympic stage in October. Vita Lukan and Lucka Rakovec are set to represent Slovenia at home. Since the previous IFSC World Cup in Lead, Lukan became Lead youth world champion at the IFSC Youth World Championships in the Juniors category, and Rakovec competed in Lead semi-finals at the IFSC World Championships. Nolwenn Arc (FRA), runner-up behind Lukan at IFSC Youth World Championships 2018, will join them in Kranj. Click here for the full list of starters.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage this weekend, September 29th-30th, to watch the LIVE streaming of semi-final and final rounds. The schedule, 2016 highlights and photos and more can be found on the official Kranj event page, where results and replays will also be shared, and join the chat on Twitter during the show at #IFSCwc.

Even if you can’t make it to the Olympic parks and venues, you can get involved with the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 by following the torch relay and using the official app.

Follow the Torch to "the end of the world"

Using the Torch map, you can follow the Olympic torch as it makes its way across south America on its final leg of the torch relay. On September 30, the torch mark the southernmost point that the “sacred fire” has ever been, travelling through the streets of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. On August 5 the torch started its journey through Argentina to promote the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence, and has covered more than 14,000 kilometres.

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, will be the guest of honour at the relay in Ushuaia that will also have the presence of the head of the Organising Committee for the third Summer Youth Olympic Games, Gerardo Werthein. From Ushuaia, the flame for Buenos Aires 2018 will begin its return journey to Buenos Aires for the big event on October 6: the first opening ceremony in modern Olympic history that’s open to all public and outside stadiums with the city as the backdrop.

A digital window for historical Games
The official app of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 is available for IOS and Android platforms. It will show the schedule and results for the 32 sports in the Buenos Aires 2018 programme and provide information about the athletes, along with their biographies.
In addition, it presents an ample variety of new features in the Olympic world, designed to allow the users to personalise their experience and participate in educational challenges.
The News section will keep the sports fans around the world well informed, featuring content in Spanish and English, while it will also have special sections with photos and videos from the Games.
Finally, the Sports menu will explain in detail the rules of the 36 disciplines at Buenos Aires 2018, making it easier for the public to understand sports they might not be too familiar with.

Download the Buenos Aires 2018 app for Android

Download the Buenos Aires 2018 app for IOS

With the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 just around the corner, Olympic Channel invites viewers on a journey around the world in search of the Olympic champions of tomorrow in Heroes of the Future. The twelve-episode original series premiered worldwide on Monday, September 24^th on the Olympic Channel global digital platform, and is available on-demand at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps.

The all new season of Heroes of the Future features 12 young athletes from 10 different countries who are already considered amongst the best in their respective sports. These young game changers represent Olympic hopefuls in 12 different sports including football, boxing, gymnastics and athletics, as well as sports on the Youth Olympic Games programme including sport climbing, breaking and roller speed skating.

Episodes include the story of Valentina Aguado, the sport climber from Argentina who started climbing when she was nine-years-old. Now 16, she dreams to become the first medallist for her country in sport climbing. Valentina will be representing Argentina at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, where she will have her first opportunity to make her dream come true.

“When we start thinking about dreams and goals we always strive for the best, and my dream is to one day be able to stand on an Olympic podium,” said Aguado. “Sport climbing is growing in popularity and I would like to grow with it and be able to reach my fullest potential and represent my country in the best way I can.”

Athlete Role Model Charlotte Durif of France did a takeover of the @YouthOlympics Instagram account yesterday, presenting the only vertical sport at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 to a fresh audience.

Durif showcased game changers of Sport Climbing qualified to compete in Buenos Aires and explained the Bouldering, Lead and Speed discplines of Sport Climbing to feature in the Combined format. Paraclimbing was also introduced to Youth Olympic Games followers, as well as elite athletes and venues of IFSC events.

Visit @YouthOlympics on Instagram to see all her posts!

On September 19th, the IFSC Executive Board met to discuss ongoing projects and developments in the IFSC at its monthly teleconference.

Following the Youth Olympic Games preparation, the Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer reported that the venue dedicated to Sport Climbing is about to be completed. In addition updates on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were provided.
The Sport Department reported on the World Championships which just took place in Innsbruck and the upcoming events for the 2019 season. The Communication Department focused its attention on the 2019 marketing strategy and the important goals reached at the World Championships in terms of TV exposure.

The next IFSC Executive Board conference will be held on October 24st, 2018.

IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018 reached audiences as never before due to numerous broadcasting deals secured by the IFSC.

In addition to the worldwide live streaming on IFSC YouTube  and OlympicChannel.com, the signature IFSC event of the 2018 season was broadcast across the world. In Europe, Austrian national public service broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk  (ORF) host broadcasted the event and televised for Austrian viewers Climbing and Paraclimbing action in Innsbruck, the longest IFSC World Championships ever, including the victories of Austrians Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert. Eurosport also provided LIVE coverage, bringing the exciting final rounds to televisions across Europe. French broadcaster La chaine l'Équipe aired delayed action last Monday and Tuesday, and Janja Garnbret's tops and others were broadcast LIVE in Slovenia on Sport TV.

In the United States, final rounds were broadcast as live on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. Sport Climbing has already aired twice on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA this past June and August with action from IFSC World Cup Vail  and IFSC World Cup Munich

Fans in Brazil were able to watch the competition LIVE by tuning in to Globosat.

In Asia, the highly anticipated event was broadcast on NHK, national public broadcasting organisation of Japan. NHK showcased LIVE the first Combined finals ever at the IFSC World Championships, and NHK broadcast delayed highlights of Lead finals and Bouldering finals, in which 19-year-old Kai Harada won his first gold medal at the senior level on the biggest stage. Sky A also used key moments Bouldering, Lead and Combined finals in its Sport Climbing highlights program available to Japanese audiences. Nippon TV and Tokyo Broadcasting Systems (TBS) covered the event too, with a strong focus on the Japanese athletes fighting for top spots across the disciplines.

News coverage of the event also increased, as footage from Innsbruck was used heavily by members of Eurovision, Servus TV  in Austria, and channels including Canal+, the BBC, SRG and SWR.

IFSC Marketing and Communication Director Anne Fuynel was very pleased at the exposure the event received. “After a fast increase in interest in Japan, it is fantastic to see our TV exposure growing across the world. These images help to share our values and spread knowledge of the sport to new audiences, and the exciting action in Innsbruck will surely have inspired new and familiar viewers alike.”

Visit the Innsbruck event pages for Climbing  and  Paraclimbing for all the replays and recaps of the competition. Viewers will also be able to watch 26 minute highlights on the event in November on channels across the globe.

Austria’s Jakob Schubert, Lead world champion, and Bouldering world champion Janja Garnbret (SLO) claimed the Combined world titles too on Sunday in closing IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018.

Ten days of nearly nonstop, top-level Sport Climbing in Innsbruck culminated on Sunday with the Combined finals, the first of its kind at the IFSC World Championships. The six top-scoring men and women athletes competing in Bouldering, Lead and Speed in Innsbruck qualified to climb in all three disciplines on the final day, a showdown of the best all-around competitors for the coveted Combined world title.

The women and men’s Combined finals went in the order of Speed, Bouldering, Lead. Athletes were ranked in each discipline, and places were multiplied for the Combined finals results. Six women finalists faced-off in head-to-head bracket-style elimination as they did in Speed on Thursday, starting at the quarterfinal, only this time the athlete with the fastest losing time (lucky loser) advanced to the semi-final as well. Miho Nonaka (JPN) bested Jessica Pilz of Austria in the first race, but Pilz’s quick time sent her to the semi-final alongside winners Petra Klingler (SUI) and Sol Sa (KOR), who eliminated Garnbret from contention. Nonaka miscued early in the next race and Pilz capitalised to advance by one half second, and Sa executed to best Klingler. Klingler placed 3rd after a false start from Nonaka in the small final, and Sa took an early lead by racing past Pilz in the big final with the fastest time of the round (9.273 seconds).

The finalists were given four minutes to attempt four problems in Bouldering, with scores being decided by tops, then zone points, top attempts and zone point attempts. Multiple athletes scored zone points and continued upward for tops on the technical first problem (W1), but Garnbret did so in fewer attempts. A dynamic second problem opened with a double-dyno, and Garnbret flashed for a sizable advantage. W3 required balance to connect multiple slab walks, and Garnbret again topped in the fewest attempts to maintain the lead over Klingler, Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) and Nonaka who completed two tops. Needing only to score the zone point on the fourth and last problem to clinch 1st place in the Bouldering, Garnbret still connected all the powerful moves for four unrivalled tops, but Sa stayed ahead by topping the last problem in the last moments to soar from 5th to 2nd place.

The Combined world title came down to endurance on the towering Lead wall where finalists had six minutes to climb as high as possible, with time breaking ties. Powerful moves led to a jump into the steepest middle section with hard to place feet, ending with dynamic moves and a leap to the top hold. Pilz stuck the exciting move to the finishing hold with one minute to go to put the pressure on Garnbret and Sa. Garnbret stayed composed and completed a quicker top to become Combined world champion in addition to Bouldering world champion (won on Friday). Sa reached the middle section to place 2nd in the Combined, and Pilz finished 3rd at home in Innsbruck.

The biannual IFSC World Championships, the signature IFSC event of the 2018 season, concluded with the men’s Combined final on Sunday. Schubert advanced to the final round in Speed, knocking out Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) on a false start and racing past “lucky loser” Kai Harada in the semi-final at the last move. Only Jan Hojer (GER) bested the Austrian, eliminating Adam Ondra (CZE) in the first round as well and Kokoro Fujii (JPN) in the second on the fastest time of the day (7.146 seconds). Hojer raced to another quick time in the big final against Schubert to begin the men’s Combined final in 1st place, and Fujii outpaced teammate Harada in the small final.

In Bouldering, Fujii, Harada and Schubert flashed the strength-based first problem (M1), but Ondra stayed in the hunt with a top on his third attempt. Precise footwork made the power moves ending M2 easier, and both Ondra and Schubert topped on their first attempts. The dynamic M3 slab proved challenging but multiple finalists topped before time expired, including Schubert who stuck the hop and matched on the finishing hold with less than 30 seconds remaining. The Bouldering results stayed the same when every finalist flashed M4, keeping Schubert in the lead in the Combined results and Hojer and Ondra trailing not far behind.

Powerful moves led to a jump on the men’s Lead route as well, followed by a 360 spin and upside down climbing into the middle section where campusing skills on crimps were tested. Ondra rose past previous marks to set the high point near the top hold, and Hojer fell in the middle section to place 3rd in the Combined final. Needing to surpass Hojer’s mark in Lead to oust Ondra from 1st place, Schubert duly did so with the Innsbruck crowd cheering behind him. The Lead world champion fell at the final section to also become Combined world champion, at home in Austria, by excelling in all three disciplines of Sport Climbing.

With Schubert’s victory in the Combined final on Sunday and Schubert and Pilz’s earlier victories, Austria won the most gold medals at IFSC World Championships 2018 and matched Slovenia for the most medals in total (4). Slovenia placed 2nd in the medal table, led by Garnbret’s two victories, and Japan, Poland and Iran also claimed world titles in Innsbruck. The complete Climbing medal table can be found on the web page for World Championships on the IFSC website, and links to full results of men and women Combined finals, replays, highlights, photos and more can be found on the Innsbruck event page.

USA viewers click on the links here for the full replay of the women and men's Combined finals on OlympicChannel.com.

Slovenian Janja Garnbret, runner-up in Lead last week in Innsbruck, and Kai Harada of Japan stormed to the top of the Bouldering podiums on Thursday and Friday at the 2018 IFSC World Championships.

After topping every route the week prior in Lead but placing 2nd on time in finals, Garnbret left no doubt in Bouldering. She was the only athlete in semi-finals on Thursday morning to flash three problems. Bouldering season champion in the IFSC World Cup series Miho Nonaka (JPN), previous Bouldering world champion Petra Klingler (SUI) and newly crowned Lead world champion Jessica Pilz (AUT) were among the athletes handling the pressure on the last problem to advance.

Four more challenging problems awaited the six finalists in the evening, requiring maximum effort to score tops as well as zone points. A zone point is marked on every problem at a difficult to reach hold and breaks ties when the same number of tops are completed (number of attempts to tops and then number of attempts to zone points would break remaining ties). Stasa Gejo (SRB) was first to solve the multi-move jump start to score the zone point on the first problem (W1), but Garnbret took the lead by securing the jump and sticking the dyno to the finishing hold for the top. Technical moves on a steep section of the Bouldering wall forced the finalists into contorted positions on W2, and Garnbret gained another advantage by scoring the zone point. Gejo and Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) topped the W3 slab, but Garnbret sealed the world title in Bouldering and a second medal in Innsbruck with another top and zone point. Noguchi kept the body tension on the strength-based final problem to overtake Gejo for 2nd place, and Gejo won the first medal for Serbia at the IFSC World Championships.

Obtaining four tops in the men’s semi-final on Friday was the ticket to advancing to finals. Bouldering season champion Jernej Kruder (SLO) and previous world champion Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), leaders after qualifications, missed one top and did not advance.

All six finalists topped the first problem of the men’s Bouldering final on Friday evening, but Jongwon Chon (KOR) took an early lead by completing the triple dyno and continuing for the top on his first attempt. On the M2 slab, Harada scored a flash of his own to gain a lead he would never give up. He was the first athlete to connect the technical moves on M3, solving the palm press at the zone point and seamlessly switching into the barn-door swing before topping. Chon and Kokoro Fujii (JPN) also completed the problem, and Gregor Vezonik (SLO) secured the zone point in the final seconds of his turn to stay in the medal hunt. Harada showed precision under pressure on the last problem. He latched the tiny thumb catch at the zone point and kept his composure on the next moves for the flash, securing his first gold medal at a senior IFSC event on the biggest stage. Chon placed 2nd with one less top, and Vezonik placed 3rd behind Chon by zone point attempts after scoring the only other top of M4.

After 10 days of world-class Sport Climbing, the action in Innsbruck concludes on Sunday with the first Combined finals at the IFSC World Championships. To see how the top 6 men and women competing in Bouldering, Lead and Speed disciplines in Innsbruck qualified for the Combined finals, check the results on the Innsbruck event page for Climbing, where links to the results of Combined finals will also be shown. Tune-in to the IFSC homepage to watch the LIVE streaming, and USA viewers can watch the women and men’s Combined finals LIVE on the IFSC website here. Join the chat on Twitter at #IFSCwch during the shows!

USA viewers click on the links here for the full replay of the men's Bouldering semi-final and final on OlympicChannel.com.

Paraclimbing athletes from France, Great Britain and Japan won 9 out of 12 categories at IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018. Italy, Iran and the United States also won gold medals in Paraclimbing.

Multiple winners of IFSC World Championships 2016 in Paris defended their world titles on Thursday in Innsbruck, including France’s own Lucie Jarrige and Romain Pagnoux. Pagnoux was the only athlete to top both qualification routes in men’s RP3 (limited range, power or stability), and the only athlete in the category to reach the headwall in finals. In the evening, Jarrige also fought her way onto the headwall of the 15-metre climbing wall in Olympiaworld Innsbruck to repeat as Paraclimbing world champion in women’s AL-2 (leg amputee). Before the evening was over, Koichiro Kobayashi of Japan surpassed all previous marks set in men’s B1 (visually impaired). Paraclimbing athletes in the visually impaired category receive direction throughout the route from their coaches on the ground while the crowd stays silent out of respect for this communication, but the crowd erupted afterwards when Kobayashi had set the high point to remain a Paraclimbing world champion.

Abigail Robinson of Great Britain continues to impress in her first IFSC season. Robinson soared to 1st place at the Paraclimbing Cup in Briançon in July, and the newly crowned Paraclimbing world champion opened finals on Thursday by claiming another gold medal in women’s B2. 2018 is the first IFSC season for Thierry Delarue, too, who likewise wore gold medals in Briançon and in Innsbruck at the biannual IFSC World Championships, overcoming a strong and experienced men’s AL-2 field to do so. His compatriot Solenne Piret is also competing in her first IFSC season this year and overtook all three medallists in 2016 to win women’s AU-2 (forearm amputee). American Justin Salas, who first competed in IFSC events last year, ended the Paraclimbing finals on Thursday in style, cutting feet at the decisive moves for the victory in men’s B2. Aika Yoshida (JPN), 3rd in Paris at the only other IFSC event in which she competed, upgraded to gold in women’s RP3.

Great Britain’s Hannah Baldwin excelled in the Paraclimbing Cup series last year, and that experience showed in Innsbruck. The 2017 women’s RP2 season champion added a world title to her collection this week, falling only at the lunge to the concluding hold in finals. Alessio Cornamusini of Italy, runner-up in 2016 and competing at IFSC events since 2012, added a world title to his scorecard in men’s RP1.

Two Paraclimbing athletes topped every route they climbed in qualifications and finals. Men’s AU2 world champion Matthew Phillips of Great Britain put on a show on Friday afternoon by leaping to the finishing hold and catching it with his amputated arm for the top. Iranian Behnam Khalaji never fell in Innsbruck as well, climbing to a perfect three tops in men’s RP2.

The women’s Bouldering final followed the Paraclimbing finals Friday evening, and the men’s Bouldering medallists will be decided on Saturday. Tune-in to the IFSC homepage to watch the LIVE streaming, and USA viewers can watch the men’s Bouldering semi-finals and finals LIVE on the IFSC website here. The schedule, links to replays, results and photos can be found on the Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing, and both medal tables are shown here. Join the chat on Twitter at #IFSCwch!

USA viewers click on the links here for the full replay of the women's Bouldering semi-final and final on OlympicChannel.com.

Iranian Reza Alipourshenazandifar and Aleksandra Rudzinska of Poland donned the gold medals in Speed climbing on Thursday in Innsbruck, Austria, host of the 2018 IFSC World Championships.

Following the first and second stages of Paraclimbing finals at IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018, 32 of the fastest men and women Speed climbing athletes on the planet went head-to-head in the bracket-style finals on the 15-metre Speed wall.

Poland topped the scoreboard in the women’s Speed final, sending four athletes to the quarterfinal and three athletes to the medal races. Rudzinska faced only Polish teammates on the way to the top of the podium after the first round. She edged Patrycja Chudziak in the quarterfinal by five hundredths of a second and capitalised on a slip from Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete Aleksandra Kalucka in the semi-final. After falling just shy of a medal in 2016, Rudzinska found redemption in Innsbruck, racing to the fastest time of the women’s Speed final (7.560 seconds) to best Anna Brozek for gold. Brozek recorded only times under eight seconds in placing 2nd. In the small final, Mariia Krasavina (RUS) won the bronze medal after a false start from Kalucka. Previous world champion Anna Tsyganova (RUS) placed 8th in Innsbruck, and Speed world record holders Anouck Jaubert (FRA) and Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) were both knocked out of finals in the first round.

Limiting errors and maintaining consistency across races proved critical to success in the men’s Speed final, and Alipourshenazandifar did exactly that. The men’s Speed world record holder compiled three times under 6 seconds in the men’s Speed final, with his lowest time coming in the big final against Bassa Mawem (FRA). Both athletes sped to the finishing pad, but a slip from Mawem at the very last move was all it took for Alipourshenazandifar to claim the victory in Innsbruck and become Speed world champion after placing 3rd in 2014 and 2nd in 2016. Stanislav Kokorin, the only other athlete to record three times under 6 seconds in the men’s Speed final, continued the form in the small final against QiXin Zhong (CHN) for bronze. Zhong, a former world champion, recorded the best time of the men’s Speed final (5.609 seconds) in placing 4th. Previous world champion Marcin Dzienski placed 10th in Innsbruck. To see how all the nations compare in medals, find the provisional medal table on the IFSC web page for World Championships.

The final medals in Paraclimbing will be distributed on Friday, and the 2018 women’s Bouldering world champion and medallists will be known by evening’s end. Tune-in to the IFSC homepage to watch the LIVE streaming, and USA viewers can watch the women’s Bouldering semi-finals and finals LIVE on the IFSC website here. The schedule, links to replays, results and photos can be found on the Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing, and don’t forget you can join the chat on Twitter at #IFSCwch.

USA viewers click here for the full replay of Speed finals on OlympicChannel.com.

The SPEED finals of the upcoming IFSC World Championships in Innsbruck will be televised on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, several times throughout September.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. Sport Climbing has already been aired twice on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA this past June and August with action from IFSC World Cup Vail and IFSC World Cup Munich for American fans, and last week LEAD finals in Innsbruck were aired as well.

Viewers and fans can also watch the Olympic Channel LIVE streaming which is available to a worldwide audience at olympicchannel.com, on its mobile apps, and on the IFSC website here.

Semi-finals and finals will continue to be provided on IFSC YouTube as well, for viewers outside the United States. Tune-in at ifsc-climbing.org tonight at 20:00 (GMT+2 - local time).

Bouldering semi-finals and Paraclimbing finals were set today in the massive Kletterzentrum Innsbruck, the venue for qualification rounds of IFSC World Championships 2018.

Over a dozen elite European athletes advanced to Bouldering semi-finals, including Lead world champion Jakob Schubert (AUT), 2018 IFSC Bouldering World Cup season champion Jernej Kruder (SLO) and 2016 runner-up Adam Ondra (CZE). 5 Japanese athletes will join them on Saturday, led by reigning Bouldering world champion Tomoa Narasaki. Lead bronze medalist Alexander Megos (GER) just missed the semi-finals cut by top attempts.

As the sun set over the surrounding mountains, the second round of Paraclimbing qualifications took place in Innsbruck. Paraclimbing Cup winners this season Matthew Phillips and Abigail Robinson of Great Britain stood out as the only athletes to top both their qualification routes. Also a Paraclimbing winner this season, Thierry Delarue (FRA) continued to excel in his first IFSC season by leading the men's leg amputee category. Justin Salas (USA) also qualified for Paraclimbing finals tomorrow in first place, and reigning world champion Koichiro Kobayashi (JPN) and Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo (ESP) will be there too.

The results, schedule, replay of the men's Bouldering qualification and Day 7 highlights can be found on the Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing. The next medals will be decided in Paraclimbing and Speed climbing tomorrow at the Olympiaworld Innsbruck arena. Tune-in for the live streaming at ifsc-climbing.org, and American viewers can watch the Speed finals here.

After a quick rest day, the IFSC World Championships continued in Innsbruck today with the start of Bouldering and Paraclimbing qualification rounds.

The women's boulders challenged in the first half of the day, and many of the world's strongest athletes topped only one or two problems. 2nd in Lead, Janja Garnbret (SLO) continued to excel on the mats, the sole woman to top all five problems in her qualification group. Reigning Bouldering world champion Petra Klingler (SUI) was also among the 20 athletes advancing to semi-finals and topped two problems, like Lead winner Jessica Pilz of Austria. Japanese standouts Akiyo Noguchi and 2018 season champion Miho Nonaka will join them in bidding for finals on Friday.

In the evening, top athletes in 7 of the 12 Paraclimbing categories qualified for finals. RP competitors Hannah Baldwin (GBR), Alessio Cornamusini (ITA), Behnam Khalaji (IRI), and France's Marlene Prat and 2016 world champion Romain Pagnoux completed perfect double tops. Fellow French teammate and reigning world champion Lucie Jarrige also topped her category (AL-2), as well as Solenne Piret of France and Aika Yoshida (JPN).

Results, the replay of the women's Bouldering qualification and Day 6 highlights can be found on the Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing.

On September 10th, Olympia World was welcoming the second Finals of those 2018 World Championships: Lead Men Finals.

Starting with the correct sequence was key on the men’s overhanging final route, as well as conserving enough energy on the steepest section of the wall to manage the finger strength and balance needed on the last moves. 2017 Lead world champion Adam Ondra set a new high point midway through the men ’s final Sunday evening, just missing the sweet spot on the next crimp which would have won him a third consecutive Lead world title. Instead, Jakob Schubert seized the opportunity by finding rests and withstanding the pump to match Ondra’s high point and become 2018 Lead world champion on countback to semi -finals. It was Schubert’s 2nd world title in Lead, coming in style six years later. Alexander Megos (GER) placed 3rd , hitting a strong iron cross just below their high point .

After a rest day on Monday, the world ’s best Sport Climbing athletes return to action at IFS C World Championships 2018 with Bouldering and Paraclimbing qualifications on Tuesday -Wednesday, and the next medals will be distributed in Speed climbing on Thursday. 

Find all the informations and REPLAY (both YouTube and Olympic Channel) about the current event.

It's been two years since the last IFSC World Championships Final and it was worth waiting as the best women climbers offered us a breathtaking show tonight in Innsbruck.

It all began with Semi-Finals where 4 athletes reached the Top: Janja Garnbret, Jain Kim, Jessica Pilz and Anak Verhoeven. Young Ashima Shiraishi and Mia Krampl fought there with tremendous energy. Let us note that the latter was winning the Junior Bouldering European Youth Championships only one week ago in Brussels. Behind her, 4 athletes reached the same hold (44+): Mei Kotake, Akiyo Noguchi, Laura Rogora and Hannah Schubert. This led to an unusual situation where 10 athletes were given access to the Lead Final in Olympia World.

The atmosphere herein was incredible as each of those 10 athletes climbed in front of an expert crowd. And it became obviously even more remarkable when the two locals of the event made their attemps. Hannah Schubert ranked 9th, improving her already promising 19th place in Paris 2016. The now silent Olympia World still resounds with the thunderous applause that pushed Jessica Pilz to the top. When she reached it, only one climber was left: Janja Garnbret. The reigning World Champion cruised to the Top and the time was then the only factor deciding who will be the new one. Being the fastest, Jessica Pilz became the new World Champion. As for the third place, Kim Jain took it, 4 years after her Title in Gijon (Spain).

Find all the informations and REPLAY (both YouTube and Olympic Channel) about the current event.

On Friday 7th, the day after the Women did, Men IFSC Lead athletes officially entered the 2018 Innsbruck World Championships.

 The Lead Qualifications required more than 6 hours to figure out which 26 athletes will qualify for the Semis as more than a hundreth competitors took their chance.

Domen Skofic and Adam Ondra took control of those qualifications and will compete in Sunday's Semi-Finals (LIVE at 01:00pm GMT+2) along with three locals: Georg Parma, Jakob Schubert and Max Rudigier.

Watch Day 2 Highlights below, check the pictures and find all the informations about the current event.

The LEAD semi-finals and finals of the upcoming IFSC World Championships in Innsbruck will be televised on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, several times throughout September:

WOMEN LEAD Finals will be televised for the first time on Saturday 15th at 06:00PM and repeated on Sunday 16th at 06:30AM, Friday 21st at 07:00AM and Wednesday 26th at 06:00AM.
MEN LEAD Finals will be first broadcasted on Sunday 16th at 06:00PM and repeated on Monday 17th at 07:30AM, Friday 21st at 09:00AM and finally Thursday 27th at 06:00AM.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. Sport Climbing has already been aired twice on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA this past June and August with action from IFSC World Cup Vail and IFSC World Cup Munich for American fans.

Viewers and fans can also LIVE stream the semi-finals and finals of the IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018 on the Olympic Channel digital platform which is available to a worldwide audience at olympicchannel.com, on its mobile apps, or directly here under.

Semi-Finals and Finals will continue to be provided on IFSC YouTube as well, for viewers outside the United States.

2 years after Paris, the best IFSC athletes are currently gathering in Innsbruck for the 2018 IFSC World Championships. 

 The event began on September 6^th with the Lead Women Qualifications officially launching this climbing festival and which took place under a beautiful Austrian blue sky. The event will last until September 16^th. 

26 athletes qualified themselves for the upcoming Semi-Finals (September 8th, 01:00pm, GMT+2) regarding their climb during this first day at "Innsbruck Kletterzentrum". Janja Garnbret topped her two qualifying routes. The young Slovenian will compete in Semi-Finals along with 4 Austrians climbers. Sandra Lettner, Christine Schranz, Hannah Schubert and Jessica Pilz will try to qualify to Finals in front of their home crowd.

Watch the highlights of that first day below, check the pictures and find all the informations about the current event.

Starting on September 8^th, Austrian national public service broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) will televise for Austrian viewers climbing and paraclimbing action in Innsbruck, the longest IFSC World Championships ever.

ORF brings an experienced team and advanced technical plan to the signature IFSC event of the 2018 season. Norbert Belina will comment during the production alongside Anna Stöhr for the women's rounds and Kilian Fischhuber for the men's rounds, with Johannes Hahn moderating.

"Climbing is at home in Austria, and the commitment of the Austrian National Television, ORF, is proof of this. Having ORF as the host broadcaster means that TV production for this event will be top notch. ORF has a wealth of experience and know-how when it comes to sports productions. While cooperating on the broadcasting, it is obvious how motivated and well-prepared they are to raise the bar. We are very much looking forward to presenting some great innovations," says Michael Schöpf, CEO of IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018.

Viewers outside Austria can tune-in to the IFSC homepage to follow the live streaming, and links to replays will be shared on the official Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing where the competition schedule is listed.

The European Youth Boulder Championships were held in Brussels the past weekend, August 31st to September 2nd.

CMBEL (Climbing & Mountaineering Belgium) hosted the 2018 European Youth Boulder Championships in the historical frame of the “Parc du Cinquantenaire”. The competition saw the best Bouldering athletes in the European landscape competing in the Youth A, B and Juniors categories.
Following the Imst Lead and Speed Championships, this was also the occasion to award the European Overall Champions.

Finals were also live on YouTube. In addition you can find all the pictures or the event clicking here.

The complete results, can be found on the event page.

© Xavier Lüthi

This week, Sport Climbing fans and 531 registered athletes from 57 nations and 5 continents will “climb, come together, celebrate” at IFSC Climbing & Paraclimbing World Championships Innsbruck 2018.

173 athletes are registered to compete in all three Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing disciplines this year at the biannual, signature event. The six top-scoring men and women will qualify for the Combined finals on the last day, the first of its kind at the IFSC World Championships. All eyes are on Janja Garnbret, 2017 Combined season champion in the IFSC World Cup series who won gold medals at the most recent Bouldering and Lead events in Munich and Arco. Visit Innsbruck2018.com for an in-depth interview with the Slovenian star athlete.

The IFSC World Championships this year will feature 139 Paraclimbing athletes across 12 categories. Leg amputee Lucie Jarrige, a reigning Paraclimbing world champion (AL2), soared to 1st place in front of her home crowd at the most recent Paraclimbing Cup in Briançon, France. Her compatriot Thierry Delarue, absent from the IFSC World Championships in 2016, could shake-up the men’s leg amputee category after setting an unmatched high point in Briançon finals. Great Britain and Italy also claimed multiple gold medals in Briançon. Gold medallist Matthew Phillips of Great Britain is one to watch in the forearm amputee category (AU2), as well as visually impaired teammate (B2) Abigail Robinson, victor at her first Paraclimbing Cup. Matteo Stefani and Giulio Cevenini of Italy will aim to perform as they did in Briançon and take the world titles held by visually impaired athletes Koichiro Kobayashi and Sho Aita of Japan. In the RP categories (limited range, power, stability), look for Paraclimbing world champions Elodie Orbaen (BEL) and Korbinian Franck (GER) near the top of the results.

Slovenia excelled at the final Bouldering event in the IFSC World Cup series this year in Munich. They won both gold medals and Jernej Kruder held-off Tomoa Narasaki of Japan to secure the season title. Kruder will face-off against the reigning Bouldering world champion again in Innsbruck. Japan dominated throughout much of the 2018 season, occupying two of the top three spots in both the men and women’s Bouldering season rankings. New season champion Miho Nonaka and veteran Akiyo Noguchi concluded the season with a thrilling grand finale in Munich. Both athletes will try to take the crown from reigning Bouldering world champion Petra Klingler (SUI). Click here for another interview with Noguchi and Narasaki.

Garnbret and climbing superstar Adam Ondra (CZE) closed the IFSC World Championships in 2016 with unforgettable tops in finals. If Ondra performs similarly under the spotlight in Innsbruck, he will become the first athlete in recent IFSC World Championships history to win three consecutive Lead world titles. A strong field could stop him which includes Austria’s own Jakob Schubert, a former Lead world champion and current frontrunner in the IFSC World Cup series in Lead, Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) and Alexander Megos (GER). Click here to watch a video interview with Schubert on the IFSC YouTube channel. Only Schubert’s compatriot Jessica Pilz has beaten Garnbret this Lead season, and she must contest with former Lead world champion Jain Kim (KOR) and 2016 runner-up Anak Verhoeven (BEL) to do it again.

Long-time rivals Anouck Jaubert of France and Iuliia Kaplina of Russia continue to score low times on the 15-metre Speed climbing wall in the IFSC World Cup series. Kaplina returned to the top of the podium at the most recent event in Arco, and 2017 season champion and current season leader Jaubert matched Kaplina’s Speed world record in April. To watch Jaubert’s record-tying run, please click here. Arco winner and current season leader Danyil Boldyrev of Ukraine scored the fastest time of the season in Arco (5.58 seconds), but men’s Speed world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) may find the consistency needed to overtake the former Speed world record holder in Innsbruck. Reigning Speed world champions Marcin Dzienski (POL) and Anna Tsyganova of Russia, regularly team season champion in Speed climbing, are also registered to compete.

Finals and semi-finals in all disciplines at Innsbruck Olympiaworld will be LIVE streamed on IFSC YouTube and on the IFSC homepage and, for the first time this year, Bouldering and Lead qualifications will be LIVE streamed, taking place at Kletterzentrum Innsbruck. Fans in the United States can watch the Olympic Channel LIVE streaming on the IFSC website here and at OlympicChannel.com here when LIVE, and all replays will be available following the rounds on the official Innsbruck event pages for Climbing and Paraclimbing. Chat with us during the show at #IFSCwch, the hashtag for IFSC championship events, and click on the image below to watch the event slogan “climb, come together, celebrate” come alive.

Representatives of the media are invited to speak with medal winners the day after final rounds at 11:00 GMT+2 (local time) in the Press Centre of Innsbruck Olympiaworld and after the closing ceremony the final day at 18:30. For the full schedule, please click here. 

The 18th Asian Games is taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 18th to September 2nd 2018. 

This multi-sport event that enables athletes from all over Asia to meet is considered as the biggest multi-sport event, just behind the Olympic Games. Sport Climbing was part of it as competitions in Combined, Speed and Speed relay took place August 23th-27th.
After a highly successful speed world cup season, Indonesia excelled at the event claiming medals in Speed and speed relay. Aspar Aspar took the bronze medal in the individual men’s event and Susanti Rahayu Aries and Lestari Puji claimed both Gold and Silver in the women’s speed competition. The podiums were rounded out by Reza Alipourshenazandi with a Gold for Iran, Qixin Zhong with silver, and for the women, Cuilian He from China with the Bronze.
As for speed relay, both Indonesian teams claimed Gold and Silver on the men’s side (China grabbing Bronze). Regarding the women speed relay, Indonesia also took Gold while China’s two teams completed the podium.

Japan and Korea claimed all of the podiums spot in the combined, with experienced World Cup Competitors demonstrating their experience. Jongwon Chon (Korea) claimed Gold, Kokoro Fujii (Japan) and Tomoa Narasaki (Japan) placed second and third respectively. Akiyo Noguchi (Japan) toped the podium for the women’s combined, with Sa Sol (Korea) and Kim Ja In (Korea) claimng second and third place.

The 2022 Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou (China) from September 10 to 25.

Click here to see all the results.

On August 21st, the IFSC Executive Board met to discuss ongoing developments in the IFSC at its monthly teleconference. Topics included reports on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In addition, the Sport Department gave a report on the current season, an overview of the upcoming one and presented the 2019 calendar. The Communication Department reported on ongoing projects, with a particular focus on the communication plan for Buenos Aires 2018 and current discussions with international broadcasters.

The next IFSC teleconference will be held on September 19st, 2018.

The Torch Tour kicked-off on August 5^th, taking the Olympic spirit all over the country. Participate in the video game designed by OlympicChannel.com to feel part of the relay!

The video game, playable in the menu of Torch Tour or at https://interactive.olympicchannel.com/torchdashYOG/, provides the option to play as a man or a woman on the way to the first Youth Olympic Games with gender equality. "Torch Dash" allows players to follow the flame to all 17 cities that are part of the relay, and enlist the help of official Buenos Aires 2018 mascot #Pandi along the way.

For the complete news at BuenosAires2018.com, please click here.

The #UnitedBytheFlame campaign was launched by the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee on August 3^rd and enables social media users worldwide to join the 60-day Torch Tour. The Torch Tour will cover 14,000 kilometres, stopping in at 17 cities where the flame will be passed between a group of relay runners whose life stories are reflected in the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence.

The innovative digital campaign invites social media users to share their stories on Instagram using the hashtag #UnitedByTheFlame with a GIF bearing the Youth Olympic flame logo designed by Buenos Aires 2018 and a message for the image that relates to Olympic values.

For the full news on BuenosAires2018.com, please click here.

The Munich World Cup reached audiences as never before due to numerous broadcasting deals secured by the IFSC. In addition to the IFSC Live stream and the Olympic Channel, the season finale of the 2018 Bouldering World Cup was broadcast by numerous broadcasters across three continents.

In the United States, the event was broadcast as live on Home of Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal.

In addition, the highly anticipated event was broadcast on the Japanese National Channel NHK. NHK provided audiences with the opportunity to watch the action LIVE, as well as catch a highlights program after the event. SkyA also used the event in its Sport Climbing highlights program available to Japanese audiences. Fuji TV covered the event with a strong focus on the Japanese athletes fighting for season titles.

More locally, the Bayerischer Rundfunk provided LIVE coverage of the event on their online platform.  In addition, the French Sport Channel L’Equipe aired the competition Delayed as Live. The competition was further mentioned in news and sports news features on Sat1, MuenchenTV, and TV Bayern Live.

“We are delighted to see that sport climbing competitions are now reaching new audiences all around the world. From Japan to USA, France, Germany and others, sport climbing pursues its growth with the support of broadcasters attracted by this young and breath taking sport. Our athletes deliver impressive performances, promoting the Olympic values and bringing a vertical dimension never seen before. We are proud to offer them an international exposure they fully deserve”, Anne Fuynel, IFSC Marketing & Communication Director.

Jernej Kruder (SLO) and Miho Nonaka (JPN) became Bouldering season champions today at the Munich Olympic Stadium, host of the 7th and last IFSC Bouldering World Cup of 2018, and Kruder’s Slovenian teammates Janja Garnbret and Gregor Vezonik won the final gold medals.

The women’s final featured a nail-biting head-to-head contest between season leader Nonaka and 4-time season champion Akiyo Noguchi (JPN), with Noguchi needing to place 1st or 2nd and ahead of Japanese compatriot Nonaka to take the 2018 season title. She started strong by solving the dynamic start of F1 and completing the problem with 45 seconds remaining, but Nonaka and reigning Combined season champion Garnbret succeeded in fewer attempts. All three athletes flashed F2, and Nonaka maintained an edge over Noguchi on F3 by sticking the opening dyno and latching the dual-texture finishing hold on her first attempt. Noguchi kept the pressure on Nonaka on the fourth and last problem, showing her experience by making a quick flash. After five months of competition, the Bouldering season title came down to one final moment. Nonaka kept her composure and flashed the final problem to beat Noguchi on top attempts, her first season title after finishing among the top five athletes for five years. Noguchi placed 2nd in the season rankings, winning more gold medals (3) than any other athlete, and Fanny Gibert (FRA) placed 3rd. Scoring a perfect four flashes in finals, Garnbret claimed the final gold medal of the season in Munich.

Slovenia exceled in semi-finals and the men’s final as well. Kruder needed to finish ahead of Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) in semi-finals if Narasaki placed 9th or better, and Kruder accomplished exactly that earlier today. The IFSC World Cup competitor since 2007 set himself up to qualify for finals and surpass Narasaki (9th) by completing the first top of M2. Narasaki matched Kruder with the most Bouldering medals in 2018 (4) and stood alongside Japanese teammate Rei Sugimoto on the men’s Bouldering season podium. In the final, Kruder’s teammate Vezonik achieved a lead he would never give up, flashing the technical first problem which prevented every other finalist from scoring four zone points. Kruder, Munich bronze medallist Jakob Schubert (AUT) and Yoshiyuki Ogata (JPN) found different solutions to the dynamic start of M2 and Yuji Fujiwaki (JPN) executed with precision for the sole top of M3, but none could stop Vezonik. He promptly flashed the concluding power problem for his first IFSC World Cup victory. Already season champion, Kruder flashed the final problem with the crowd cheering behind him for the silver medal in Munich, and Schubert flashed to earn the bronze by zone attempts.

Thanks to three medals and a double victory in Munich, Slovenia secured 2nd place in the team Bouldering season ranking with 1344 points. Japan, dominant all season, topped the team ranking for the fifth straight season with 2269 points. France advanced two athletes to finals in Munich to hold off Austria for 3rd place. For the complete Bouldering rankings, please click here.

The complete results, replays, highlights and photos can be found on the Moscow event page, including links to replays for USA viewers on OlympicChannel.com.

Bouldering season leaders Jernej Kruder (SLO) and Miho Nonaka (JPN) will contest with Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) and Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) for the men and women’s Bouldering season titles August 17th-18th in Munich, Germany, the 7th and final IFSC Bouldering World Cup of the 2018 season.

Munich is a fixture in the Bouldering series, regularly hosting the final event of the season. This year, 231 athletes from 37 countries are registered to compete for their final chance to gain ground in the Bouldering season rankings. The stage is set for a showdown between the best Bouldering athletes in the world.

Nonaka finished within the top five Bouldering athletes in the women’s season ranking the past five years, and this year her first title is as close as ever. Nonaka has already matched her best finish ever, but one athlete could bump her down to 2nd place and take the title away. Bouldering legend and 4-time season champion Noguchi has won three times in 2018, and she needs to place 2nd or 1st in Munich and ahead of Nonaka to overtake her compatriot since the worst score is dropped in the final calculation for athletes competing in all seven events. Slovenian Janja Garnbret could make that result more difficult to achieve, since she has yet to finish worse than 2nd this season. Fanny Gibert of France is also on the start list and will clinch 3rd place by making the podium in Munich or if Stasa Gejo (SRB) doesn’t win. Be sure to keep an eye on Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) qualified athlete Hannah Meul as well, who placed 10th in Vail and will be climbing in front of her home crowd.

The face-off for the men’s title is equally tight. Kruder won his first IFSC World Cup to start the season in Meiringen and has made three podiums, scoring within the top eight athletes at every event. Only 2016 Bouldering season and world champion Narasaki has stood on more Bouldering podiums in 2018 (4), and he bested Kruder for the final podium spot in Vail. Narasaki will need to place 9th or better and ahead of Kruder in Munich to retake the title. The final spot on the Bouldering season podium is less decided for the men. Rei Sugimoto (JPN), winner in Vail, can clinch 3rd place by finishing 1st or 2nd in Munich. Reigning season champion Jongwon Chon (KOR) and ‘16-‘17 bronze medallist Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS) will try to stop him.

Winners of the Bouldering team ranking since 2014, Japanese athletes have amassed 2269 points this season and are poised for another title. Slovenia, 3rd last year, has already increased their total in 2018 (1107) and will look to hold off France in Munich for 2nd place. Currently ranked 7th, 25 registered German athletes could improve their positioning in the final ranking.

Semi-finals and finals of IFSC World Cup Munich 2018 will be live streamed on the IFSC homepage Saturday 18th August at 12:00 and 18:20 GMT+2, respectively. Fans in the United States can watch the Olympic Channel live streaming on the IFSC website here and at OlympicChannel.com here. The schedule, starters, 2017 highlights and more can be found on the Munich event page, and chat on Twitter during the show at #IFSCwc.

Colin Duffy of the United States and Natsuki Tanii of Japan closed out the 2018 IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow with applause, topping the final routes of Youth B Lead finals.

Speed youth world champion Jimin Jeong of Korea took a provisional lead among female finalists by falling at the first volume of the headwall. Runner-up Nika Potapova was first to catch the screw-on and continue a few crimps further for Ukraine’s first medal in Moscow. YueTong Zhang also completed the move and dropped just shy of Potapova’s high point for China’s first medal. Last to climb, Bouldering youth world champion Tanii concluded the climbing for female youth stars in Moscow by jumping for the top hold and latching it with one hand to become Lead youth world champion too.

Tanii’s compatriot Kentaro Maeda excelled on the final route for male Youth B athletes, balancing across the slopers on the headwall for the bronze medal. 2nd in Bouldering, Thomas Podolan of Austria matched the performance in Lead, hugging the penultimate feature and leaping out right for the first top. Champion in 2017 after a crowd-pleasing dynamic finish, Duffy replicated the feat in Moscow. Under pressure as the last climber of the eight-day competition, he stuck the concluding dyno for another magical finish, defending the Lead title on countback to semi-finals where he achieved the sole top. Duffy and Youth A champion Hidemasa Nishida were the only athletes in Moscow to never fall on the Lead wall.

Thanks to Duffy’s final top, the United States rose from 6th place to 3rd in the team medal table with two victories and six medals. As in 2017, Japan, Russia and the United States occupied the top three places in 2018. After dominating in Speed the first half of the competition, the host nation of Russia maintained an edge by one bronze medal for 2nd place. Champions in 2017, Japan defended first place in Moscow, bringing home a leading six gold medals and 14 medals in total.

The complete results, replays and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the complete medal table.

The final IFSC Bouldering World Cup of the 2018 season in Munich will be televised on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, on Saturday August 18th at 6:00pm Eastern Time. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal. Sport Climbing first aired on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA this past June with action from IFSC World Cup Vail for American fans.

Viewers and fans can also LIVE stream the semi-finals and finals of IFSC World Cup Munich on August 17^th-18^th on the Olympic Channel digital platform which is available to a worldwide audience at olympicchannel.com and on its mobile apps. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal.

Coverage will continue to be provided on IFSC YouTube as well, for viewers outside the United States.

Leader in the medal table after Bouldering, Japan continued to excel in Youth A and Juniors Lead finals in Moscow and Slovenia and the United States won their first gold medal of the 2018 IFSC Youth World Championships.

Camille Pouget (FRA) kicked-off the traditional resistance climbing on the progressively overhanging Lead wall, reaching the headwall where the angle eases for 5th place. Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete Sandra Lettner (AUT) made one more move to take the bronze medal over Eliska Adamovska (CZE) on countback to semi-finals. Runner-up in 2017, American Brooke Raboutou followed their performances by setting a high point none could equal. She fought past the tiny screw-ons and slippery pinches curling to the top hold, falling just short of the chains for the United States’ first victory. Bouldering medalist Futaba Ito reached the screw-on holds for 2nd place and Japan’s 8th medal.

On the final route for male athletes, Bouldering youth world champion and YOG qualified athlete Sam Avezou set a new high point at the tricky elongated volume before the final hold. French teammate Alistair Duval stuck the move to place 4th, and Katsura Konishi of Japan made positive movement to match on the volume for 3rd place. Two finalists mastered all the Bouldering-style moves, completing the first tops of the day. Runner-up Luka Potocar of Slovenia found the sweet spot of the volume to continued onward and clip the chains. Hidemasa Nishida fought the pump to join him atop the route and stand atop the podium on countback to semi-finals, increasing Japan’s medal count to 10. YOG qualified athlete Peter Kuric (SVK) finished in 7th place.

In the Juniors Lead finals, France and Japan added two medals and Bouldering youth world champion Meichi Narasaki (JPN) and YOG qualified athlete Vita Lukan (SLO) won their second medals in Moscow. Bronze medalist Nina Arthaud of France started the high climbing, reaching the series of pinches on the headwall before falling. YOG qualified athlete Elena Krasovskaia (RUS) fell lower on the route, leaving only YOG qualified athletes Nolwenn Arc of France and Lukan left to test their endurance. Arc secured the penultimate hold for France’s 2nd medal of the day and 5th total. Last to climb, Lukan obtained her 2nd medal in Moscow after placing 3rd in Bouldering by falling at the very last hold for gold, Slovenia’s first of the competition.

Among male finalists, YOG qualified athletes Pietro Biagini and Filip Schenk of Italy fell just after reaching the headwall to place 8th and 6th. On the Bouldering podium, Kai Harada (JPN) earned another bronze medal in Lead by battling to the final volume before the top. Runner-up Jakub Konecny refused to fall on the route, clipping the chains to enter the Czech Republic in the medal table. Narasaki matched Konecny with a top of his own and won on countback to semi-finals, becoming the Bouldering and Lead youth world champion of 2018 and claiming Japan’s 12th medal.

The full results, replays and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the updated medal table.

The French television channel la chaine L’Équipe will broadcast in near live on August 18^th finals of IFSC World Cup Munich 2018.

French viewers can tune-in at 20:15 CET to watch the programming, to be streamed simultaneously at lachainelequipe.fr, and get ready for the action by watching the trailer below.

Japan concluded the Bouldering at IFSC Youth World Championships Moscow 2018 with a double victory and the provisional lead in the medal table. 2017 winner Rei Kawamata defended the title and last year’s runner-up Natsuki Tanii climbed to first place.

Five of the six female finalists solved the technical climbing on the volume cluster of F1, including Tanii and compatriot Hana Kudo who both flashed. Tanii and Naile Meignan (FRA) took the lead on the second problem, successfully working through the jump start and miniscule screw-ons defending the top hold. Canadian Indiana Chapman showed finesse on F3, capturing the lone top of the problem to place 4th with one top. On the finishing power problem, Kudo surpassed the large features for the bronze medal. Meignan put the pressure on Tanii with a top of her own, forcing her to top in two attempts or less to exchange the silver medal in 2017 for gold. Tanii stayed composed and needed only one attempt to reach the top hold and the top of the podium for the Youth B Bouldering title.

2017 Youth B medalists Kawamata and Ryoei Nukui began the final for male athletes with tops and the early lead. Every finalist completed the run start and overhanging traverse to the final hold on M2, but only Thomas Podolan of Austria flashed the problem. The pace slowed on the M3 slab, but the delicate walk to the zone point proved no problem for Kawamata, Podolan and Paul Jenft (FRA), who placed 4th. Podolan used smart body positioning to scale the series of volumes on the last problem for Austria’s first medal in Moscow, requiring a top from Kawamata to win. The now two-time Bouldering youth world champion did just that, the only finalist to top all four problems in finals. Already on the podium, Nukui ended his round with a top for good measure, maintaining his bronze medal and making it four medals for Japan in Youth B.

The full results, replay and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the updated medal table.

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) qualified athletes Sam Avezou of France and Italian Laura Rogora soared to 1st place on the last problems of Youth A Bouldering finals in Moscow. YOG qualified athletes Nathan Martin (FRA) and Lucka Rakovec (SLO) also won medals in Bouldering at the 2018 IFSC Youth World Championships.

A crowd-facing start kicked off the final for the 6 female athletes. Rogora solved the crux and showed her strength by leaping to the top hold for the flash and an early lead. Rakovec used alternative beta by dynoing straightaway, and Saki Kikuchi dangled by one hand at the move for a top as well. Every athlete struggled to cross the volumes of F2 and big reach to the small finishing hold of F3, leaving F4 to decide the podium. Rogora showed no signs of fatigue on the concluding static climbing, stepping up the ladder of volumes and onto the top of the Youth A Bouldering podium with a flash for the Bouldering title. Rakovec scored the zone point for second place and Slovenia’s third medal, and Futaba Ito of Japan topped with just over 30 seconds remaining to knock teammate Kikuchi off the podium.

M1 tested the composure of the 6 male finalists, requiring a flash to be among the leaders. Avezou and Eneko Carretero Crux of Spain separated from the field on M2, the only athletes to surpass the crimp crux of the slab problem on their first attempt. A two-hand dyno followed by big moves changed the pace on M3, but Avezou and Carretero Crux stayed perfect with three tops in three attempts and Martin also completed his third top to stay in the hunt for gold. On the last problem, Carretero Crux cruised through the opening power moves but peeled off at the technical finishing press on his first attempt, giving Avezou an opportunity to take the victory by topping in one or two attempts. After dropping to the mats on hist first attempt, Avezou regained composure and duly topped on his second attempt to take the victory on countback to semi-finals. Martin joined him on the podium with a top of his own, making it two medals for France in Youth A Bouldering finals and four among YOG qualified athletes.

Ekaterina Barashchuk and Gian Luca Zodda, former Speed youth world champions, capped off the Speed climbing at IFSC Youth World Championships Moscow by regaining the title in their last year of Juniors. Five Russian athletes advanced to the medal races on Sunday in front of their home crowd, including Barashchuk who bested teammate Elena Remizova in the semi-final and Elizaveta Ivanova who guaranteed another gold medal for Russia. In a tight final race, Barashchuk scored the fastest time of the round (8.12 seconds) and slapped the finishing pad four hundredths of a second before Ivanova. It was her second Speed title since she competed at the IFSC Youth World Championships in 2014 in Noumea, New Caledonia. In the small final, Remizova capitalised on a fall from Elisabetta Dalla Brida (ITA) to join her compatriots on the all-Russian podium. YOG qualified athlete and Combined world champion Elena Krasovskaia also climbed in finals, placing 6th.

Zodda raced past Demyan Zaytsev of Russia in the semi-final and overcame a slip in the big final to hand Italy a gold medal in Speed climbing. Zodda was last crowned with the Speed title in 2016 in Guangzhou, China. American Noah Bratschi eliminated 2017 Youth A champion Sergei Rukin (RUS), the fastest male athlete of the round (6.21 seconds), from contention in the semi-final and placed 2nd. In the small final, Rukin slipped early and Zaytsev continued upward for Russia’s 4th medal in Juniors and 7th in Moscow so far.

The full results, replays and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the updated medal table.

Second-year Juniors Meichi Narasaki (JPN) and Hannah Slaney (GBR) rose to the top of the first Bouldering podium in Moscow at their last IFSC Youth World Championships.

A dynamic start and physical moves greeted the six female finalists on the first problem. Combined world champion and Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) qualified athlete Elena Krasovskaia began with a flash in front of her home crowd, matched by Urska Repusic of Slovenia. Precision was required to conserve energy on the tiny screw-ons of F2, and Slaney flashed to take the lead. YOG qualified athletes Vita Lukan (SLO) and Mao Nakamura (JPN) also topped the second problem. All five athletes kept the friction across volumes and slopers and a tricky swing for the zone point on F3, leaving the final problem to decide the podium. Repusic found a static solution to maintain her balance through the challenging traverse of F4 for 2nd place, and Slaney scored the zone point to become the first Bouldering youth world champion of Great Britain. Lukan joined teammate Repusic on the podium, edging Nakamura by completing her three tops in less attempts.

Kai Harada of Japan started strong among male finalists, hanging by one hand to secure the opening dyno and continuing onward for the sole top of M1. Narasaki and Yannick Flohé (GER) rebounded with tops of their own on M2, solving the technical rollover to do so. Every athlete topped M3, leaving the final moments to again decide the Bouldering winners. Narasaki flashed the powerful fourth problem to exchange his silver medal last year for gold, and Flohé earned Germany’s first medal in Moscow with a top of his own. Harada scored the zone point for 3rd place in a dramatic last effort, and Matteo Manzoni (ITA) topped M4 but just missed the podium.

The full results, replay and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the updated medal table.

Haram Jeon and Jimin Jeong became the first Speed youth world champions for Korea on day two of the 2018 IFSC Youth World Championships. Italy and the United States also won two medals in Youth B Speed finals to improve their odds in the medal race in Moscow.

Anna Calanca of Italy bested Kiara Pellicane-Hart in the semi-final with the fastest time among Youth B female athletes (8.67 seconds), securing the first medal for Italy in Moscow. A small slip in the final race was all Jeong needed to surpass Calanca and take the first title for Korea in Speed climbing at the IFSC Youth World Championships. Pellicane-Hart gained the lead in the small final, but a late fall handed the Bronze medal to American teammate Emma Hunt, who added a bronze medal to the team’s tally.

Jeon soared in the final race of Speed finals for male Youth B athletes. He was the only competitor to climb the 15-metre Speed wall in under 7 seconds (6.95 seconds), giving Korea the provisional lead in the medal table and its second gold medal by beating Italian Andrea Zappini.

Zappini was quick all day, ousting 2017 bronze medalist Evgeny Kuzin in the quarterfinal and making it two silver medals for Italy. Maksim Ryzhov, the sole Russian athlete in the Youth B medal races, grabbed the lead early in the small final but slipped towards the top, allowing enough time for Ellis Ernsberger to claim the second bronze medal for the United States today and third medal in Moscow.

The full results, replay and highlights can be found on the Moscow event page, and click here for the updated medal table.

The partnership between the IFSC and the International Military Sports Council (CISM) was formally agreed yesterday morning at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris and Colonel Dorah Mamby Koita, Secretary General of CISM, signed the Convention of Collaboration on the first day of competition alongside Dmitry Bychkov, President of the Climbing Federation of Russia, IFSC Honorary Member Alexander Piratinskiy and Colonel Artem Gromov, CISM responsible officer of Sport Climbing.

This document aims to develop training and competition of Climbing by all military sportsmen either professional or amateurs; encourages the implementation of women’s military sport; establishes true synergies in the sports field between both institutions; identifies shared goals and objectives between CISM and IFSC; sets up joint educational initiatives to protect Climbing against the dangers of doping; establishes collaboration in the area of International Technical Officials; and promotes the values of the sport.

IFSC athletes showed their strength, stamina and speed at the 3^rd CISM World Winter Games last year in Sochi, Russia, and the first CISM World Military Championship of Sport Climbing will take place in Moscow this year from November 27^th to December 3^rd.

"We have been collaborating with CISM for nearly a decade, and we are proud to further recognise our military athletes and continue working alongside CISM to fulfill the shared objectives and values of this agreement ," says President Scolaris.

More information about the signing can be found in the full news on the CISM website.

Natalia Kalucka of Poland and Russia’s own Almaz Nagaev raced to the first gold medals of the 2018 IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow today.

N. Kalucka capitalized on an early slip from teammate and 2017 champion Aleksandra Kalucka in the semi-final, the fastest female athlete in Youth A today (7.93 seconds). Kamilla Kushaeva of Russia, bronze medalist in Youth B last year, joined her in the big final after slapping the finishing pad three hundredths of a second before teammate Daria Potapova, 2017 runner-up in Youth B. Both flawless in the final race, N. Kalucka earned the first victory this week in Moscow in another tight race over Kushaeva, who secured the first medal for Russia. In the small final, Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) qualified athlete A. Kalucka held on for bronze over Potapova.

Nagaev and Russian teammate Eduard Daukaev each scored only one time above 7 seconds in the Speed finals, and Nagaev advanced in the semi-final by less than one tenth of a second. American Jordan Fishman climbed against him in the big final, the fastest male Youth A athlete in Moscow (6.40 seconds). When Fishman slipped in the last race, Nagaev seized the opportunity in front of his home crowd to become the first youth world champion for Russia this year. In the small final, Daukaev outpaced YOG qualified athlete and Ecuadorian speedster Nickolaie Rivadeneira for Russia’s third medal of the competition.

Visit the official event page for the full results, Youth A Speed finals replay and day one highlights in Moscow, and click here for the current medal table.

Officials, coaches and athletes at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow are advised that the technical meeting on Wednesday 8^th August has been moved to 19:30, the location remains the same.

In addition, please note the changes to the schedule of the competition. Click here for the new schedule of IFSC Youth World Championships Moscow 2018.

699 youth athletes from 5 continents and 43 countries take the spotlight at the IFSC Youth World Championships on August 9th-16th in Moscow, Russia. The young Sport Climbing stars will compete over eight days to be crowned Bouldering, Lead and Speed youth world champions of 2018.

Separated by age into three categories, the IFSC Youth World Championships annually gather Juniors (18-19), Youth A (16-17) and Youth B (14-15) standouts from nations around the globe for nearly nonstop competition climbing in the three Sport Climbing disciplines. This year, multiple qualified athletes for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 (YOG) test their preparations while aiming for the world titles. Click here for the provisional list of qualified athletes.

American Ashima Shiraishi has dominated at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Bouldering and Lead, placing first for three consecutive years. This year, she will have to contest with Youth B Bouldering champion Futaba Ito (JPN) in Youth A. With the graduation of Bouldering youth world champion Yoshiyuki Ogata from Juniors, 2017 runner-up Meichi Narasaki (JPN) is poised to claim the title in 2018. YOG qualified athlete and Youth A Bouldering champion Filip Schenk (ITA) will try to stop him, also moving up to the next category this year. In Youth B, runner-up Semen Ovchinnikov climbs at home this year, and champion Rei Kawamata will look to continue Japan’s Bouldering legacy.

Japan also performed well in Lead to accumulate more medals at the IFSC Youth World Championships in 2017 (24) than any other nation. YOG qualified athlete and Youth A Lead champion Shuta Tanaka should set the bar high again in 2018, and Lead youth world champion Ai Mori and runner-up Natsuki Tanii will aim for more Tops in Moscow. The United States also soared in Lead and Bouldering in 2017 to place second in gold medals (5). Runner-up Brooke Raboutou matched Shiraishi’s top score in Lead finals last year, and both athletes climb in Youth A in Moscow. Their teammate Colin Duffy will look to recreate his inspiring top in 2017 in Youth B, and Kai Lightner returns for his final year of Juniors.

Russia earned the most medals in a single discipline last year, tallying 11 medals in Speed. The home of Speed climbing and host of this year’s IFSC Youth World Championships is set to impress again in the discipline this year. YOG qualified athlete Georgii Morozov and Speed champion Sergei Rukin advance to Juniors this year and posted competitive times for the category last year. 2017 runner-up Elizaveta Ivanova and YOG qualified athlete Elena Krasovskaia are strong candidates to impress in front of their home crowd as well. Also keep an eye on 2017 medallist Evgeny Kuzin in Youth B. Finally, don’t miss any of Aleksandra Kalucka’s races. The YOG qualified athlete and Youth A Speed champion from Poland has recorded fast times in 2018 near the women’s Speed world record (7.32 seconds), and she could end up with another title and a record.

Every semi-final and final round in Moscow will be live streamed on the IFSC homepage, and follow scores from your phone by downloading the “YWCH 2018” results application. Full results, starters, schedule and trailer can be found on the official Moscow event page.

The IFSC Administration and Sport Directors Francesca Jengo and Silvia Verdolini attended a series of workshops held by GAISF in Lausanne dedicated to the latest General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In addition, the IFSC has acquired the services of an international Sport lawyer to provide specific advice.
This IFSC aims to provide the most comprehensive data protection for our Athletes and National Federations in accordance with the latest update of the regulations.

National Federations, please take note of a change to the registration deadline for IFSC World Cup Kranj 2018.

After an analysis made by the Event Organiser, a very high number of participants is expected this year in Kranj. In order to properly plan the event, the deadline for all National Federations to register for IFSC Climbing World Cup Kranj 2018 has been changed to Wednesday, the 19th of September, at 23.59 CEST.

Please note that further analysis will be made following this date, in respect to the number of competitors and in order to make the event sustainable for the Athletes, the Event Organisers and the IFSC.

IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych and IFSC Calendar Coordinator Alessandro Di Cato attended the OutDoor Retailer Conference on July 23^rd-26^th in Denver, Colorado, a leading business-to-business outdoor sports show where industry brands, retailers, suppliers and leaders gather.

During the conference, they met with USA Climbing CEO Marc Norman and COO John Muse, as well as representatives of the Vail Valley Foundation. The discussion centred on developments of IFSC World Cup Vail, among other Sport Climbing topics.

“We are happy to work with our member Federations and Event Organizers to put on fantastic events that benefit all stakeholders. USA Climbing and The Vail Valley Foundation (Go Pro Mountain Games Event) have been good partners and we are working together to make the event even better.” says Secretary General Gawrych.

In addition, meetings also took place with attendees of the Climbing Wall Summit, where IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini launched the IFSC Official Sport Equipment.

"The OutDoor Retailer Conference in Denver was a great opportunity to connect with industry professionals and share ideas about increasing the visibility of Sport Climbing, in the USA and worldwide". Says Secretary General Gawrych.

Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) defended first place and 2017 season runner-up Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) returned to the top of the podium at the 6th Speed event of 2018 in Arco, Italy. In Lead, Janja Garnbret (SLO) won for the third time this year and Jakob Schubert (AUT) earned his second victory at the 4th Lead event.

The popular climber’s town of Arco and long-time IFSC World Cup host welcomed another group of elite Sport Climbers to its towering competition walls for the final Lead and Speed events of July. Finals took place on Saturday evening, beginning with the world’s fastest athletes. Russian Speed stars Kaplina and Mariia Krasavina hung on in tight semi-final races to surpass 2018 leader Anouck Jaubert (FRA) and Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete Aleksandra Kalucka (POL). All athletes recorded times under 8 seconds in the medal races. 2017 season runner-up Kaplina returned to the top of the podium by climbing within 1 hundredth of a second of her own Speed world record. Jaubert joined Krasavina on the podium, beating Kalucka by just one thousandth of a second.

For the men, Chamonix winner Boldyrev and Aleksandr Shilov of Russia advanced to the big final after small slips from Villars winner Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) and Speed world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) in the semi-final. Recording only times under 6 seconds in finals, Boldyrev bested Shilov in the last race with the fastest time of the day (5.58s) for back-to-back victories and the lead in the Speed season rankings, and Shilov made it three medals for Russia. In the small final against Timofeev, Alipourshenazandifar rebounded to return to the top of the Speed podium.

Overhanging walls surrounding the Speed well set the stage for the finale in Lead. Anak Verhoeven (BEL) put forth another strong effort in finals but timed out again on the long route for 3rd place. Only two women have won Gold in Lead events this season, and they concluded the women’s final in Arco. Chamonix winner Jessica Pilz (AUT) fought the pump to reach the upper panel and fell a few moves short of the top hold for 2nd place and her fourth podium of the Lead season. Last to climb, 2017 season champion and 2018 season leader Garnbret again set the high point in finals for her third victory and fourth podium in Lead this year. The crowd held their breath when Garnbret held a swing where Pilz fell and reset her feet before latching the winning hold.

The men’s final centred on a technical crux sequence high up on the wall. Chamonix winner Stefano Ghisolfi of Italy set a new high point for the home crowd in falling at the tenuous transition between two volumes. Climbing legend Adam Ondra (CZE) and Domen Skofic (SLO) looked in form but popped off the route just before his mark. Winner in Villars, 2018 season leader Schubert earned another spot atop the podium by keeping the friction with a high heel hook and powerful crossover to complete three more moves for the victory. Skofic placed third over Ondra on countback to semi-finals.

5th in Chamonix, Kalucka continues to excel in the IFSC Speed World Cup. She challenged 2016 season champion Kaplina and 2017 season champion Jaubert in placing 4th in Arco, matching Sandra Lettner (AUT) and YiLing Song (CHN) for the best finish at an IFSC World Cup among Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes. In Lead, Chamonix finalist Shuta Tanaka (JPN) returned to finals and placed 5th.

Visit the Arco event page for the full results, replays, highlights, photos and more.

There is a new timetable for the IFSC Lead & Speed World Cup in Arco.

Please click here for the new timetable or on the Arco event page. In addition, there is a 30-minute delay to Lead semi-finals, now starting at 12:30 local time.

In 2020, the world will welcome five sports to the Olympic programme at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. In the new Olympic Channel original series, "Going Olympic: Tokyo 2020," viewers will be introduced to these sports while exploring Japan's vibrant sports scene and cultural traditions. The multi-part series premiered on the Olympic Channel global digital platform, which is available worldwide at olympicchannel.com and on its mobile apps.

Produced exclusively for the Olympic Channel by VICE Media Japan, "Going Olympic: Tokyo 2020" is the Olympic Channel's first original series filmed entirely in Japan and uses Japanese as the primary language (subtitling available in 11 languages). The Sport Climbing episode is called "How a Japanese climbing prodigy masters the Rock of Iwate" and chronicles the physical and spiritual journey to climbing of 16-year-old Futaba Ito, the reigning Youth B Bouldering and Combined world champion.

Watch the feature below, and a description of all the episodes can be found in the complete news here.

Yesterday officially marked two years to go until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and a countdown ceremony was held in Tokyo to celebrate the milestone.

Based on a theme inspired by Japanese summer festivals, the ceremony was attended by a number of Olympic athletes and medallists as well as the new Tokyo 2020 Olympic mascot Miraitowa and Paralympic mascot Someity. They were joined by elementary school pupils from the local community in a lively celebration to mark the event.

© Tokyo 2020

731 commemorative lanterns representing the number of days remaining until the commencement of the Games were unveiled at the ceremony, containing messages from the children and other attendees recording their hopes and aspirations for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Olympic athletes joining the ceremony included swimmer Rikako Ikee, gymnast Ryohei Kato and track and field sprinter Kenji Fujimitsu, as well as sport climber Miho Nonaka and three time Olympic judo gold medallist Tadahiro Nomura.

More information can be found in the complete news at the Tokyo 2020 website.

© Tokyo 2020

Vertical-Life, a leading provider of business software for the climbing industry, has recently been commissioned by the IFSC to develop the new membership database and competition result software.

"It is our goal to provide a system that can enhance the experience of organizers, officials, athletes and spectators," says Matthias Polig, CEO of the Dolomites-based software house Vertical-Life. "Our team looks forward to contributing our experience in software development, user interface design and event organisation."

The new software will be used in all IFSC competitions, such as World Cups and World Championships. Key features for its design are user-friendliness and ease of data entry in support of judges for a smooth running of competitions. IFSC President, Marco Maria Scolaris comments: "We have been impressed by this young team of highly skilled individuals. We are confident their dynamism and fresh look into Sport Climbing will produce an incredible platform available to all our member federations."

The IFSC new partnership is part of a project intended to facilitate the growth of National Federations and the development of the sport globally. It will be possible to configured the software in order to satisfy requirements and needs of each federation. The new IFSC membership and result system is scheduled to be launched by the beginning of 2019.

Olympic traditions and the energy of youth combined on Tuesday to give birth to the youth Olympic flame for Buenos Aires 2018 in an emotional ceremony at Athens’ historic Panathenaic Stadium. The flame’s journey will last two months and cover 14,000 kilometres. During its tour, it will spread the Olympic values of friendship, respect, and excellence while sending a message about the transformative power of sport to build a better society.

"I assure you that the flame’s glow doesn’t know distances. Its radiance is in the dreams of all athletes who are giving our best day by day to triumph at Buenos Aires 2018. And it’s also the dream of our families, who never stop helping us to be faster, to go further and become stronger," said Valentina Muñoz, one of the South American athletes carrying the flame.

The youth Olympic flame will arrive in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, July 25, and will be welcomed in an official act in the following days at the Youth Olympic Village. Visit the Buenos Aires 2018 website for the full news, and the Lighting Ceremony can be watched below.

The IFSC is looking for a Communications Assistant to assist the Marketing & Communications Department. The job requires an efficient worker with strong organizational and writing skills who is comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment.

The full-time position is based at IFSC headquarters in Torino, Italy. Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “Communications Assistant Application” in the subject line by August 17^th, 2018.

For the full job description, please click here.

Media may now request accreditation to the IFSC Climbing & Paraclimbing World Championships taking place from September 6th to 16th in Innsbruck, Austria, the signature IFSC event of the 2018 season.

Wednesday marked 50 days to go until the biannual gathering of the best Bouldering, Lead, Speed and Paraclimbing athletes worldwide. Representatives of the media are invited to request accreditation to attend the event by completing the online form at the Innsbruck 2018 website: Innsbruck2018.com/en/Media/Accreditation.

Media accreditation badges may be received at the registration centre in the famous Olympiaworld arena, where all final rounds will take place. The badges permit access to the press centre and all relevant events during the entire IFSC World Championships, which will be the longest ever. Climbing rounds will also take place at the popular Kletterzentrum Innsbruck, specially constructed for training and competing at the highest level. Last year, the brand-new site served as the major qualification event for Sport Climbing’s first Youth Olympic Games in October. Many qualified athletes on the climb to Buenos Aires will return to action, and they will be joined by hundreds of star athletes. 2016 Lead world champion Adam Ondra of the Czech Republic is already on the start list, as well as reigning Paraclimbing world champions across the visually impaired, amputee and RP categories. Click on the image below to watch the official trailer.

More information about accreditation guidelines and registration on-site can be found here. The deadline to submit accreditation requests is 1 week before the first day of the event for TV, 48 hours for other media.

France, Great Britain, Italy claimed multiple gold medals at the first Paraclimbing Cup of 2018, Alexander Megos (GER) won his first IFSC World Cup and Janja Garnbret (SLO) finished on top again in Briançon.

As day turned to night on Wednesday and the sun set over “Parc des Sports,” the new competition venue in Briançon, France, elite Paraclimbing athletes competed for gold medals in 10 categories at the 2018 Paraclimbing Cup debut. Visually impaired athlete Abigail Robinson began the Paraclimbing finals with a quick top of the side wall. Forearm amputee Matthew Phillips wowed the crowd with a leaping effort to the final hold, missing the top but securing a second victory for Great Britain. 2017 season champion Hannah Baldwin made it three wins in a row for Great Britain, finding a top in the RP category (limited range, power or stability). France and Italy took charge during the climbing that followed on the overhanging wall. Matteo Stefani caught the crux which bested other finalists, and his Italian teammates Giulio Cevenini and Alessandro Neri also set high points. Leg amputee Thierry Delarue held on multiple times by only his hands to reach the top panel, and his French teammate Lucie Jarrige closed the round with a crowd-pleasing victory. RP athletes Behnam Khalaji of Iran and Korbinian Franck of Germany also won gold medals.

Lead qualifications and semi-finals took place on Friday, followed by the final round of the third IFSC Lead World Cup in 2018 on Saturday. The traditional resistance route-setting in Briançon required smart and strong climbing to connect all the static, technical moves. Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA), winner last week, began the high climbing and showed his high level of fitness by resting and chalking up at the first crux moves on the upper panel, falling a few holds from the top in the concluding traverse. 2017 Briançon winner Romain Desgranges (FRA) held on two moves more to take the lead in front of his home crowd, and 2018 season leader Jakob Schubert (AUT) fell in between their marks to place 4th. First in qualifications with two tops and second in semi-finals, Megos conserved enough energy to solve the second crux traverse, falling at the final hold for his first IFSC World Cup victory. Domen Skofic of Slovenia matched Schubert’s score to win bronze on countback.

Four Slovenian women competed in finals, the first time since 2007, including Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete Vita Lukan. Also on the climb to Buenos Aires, Nolwenn Arc kicked-off the women’s final by reaching the last section of the wall in front of her home crowd. Fresh off her victory last week, Jessica Pilz (AUT) again cruised to the top in finals, and Anak Verhoeven (BEL) fell lunging to the top hold for a spot on the podium. Last to climb, 2017 season champion Garnbret of Slovenia showed her power by launching for the finishing jug from a lower foothold for her second victory in 2018 and sole possession of first place in the season rankings. For more results, visit the Briançon event page on the IFSC website.

With her 6th place finish in finals, Lukan matched Shuta Tanaka (JPN) for the best finish at an IFSC Lead World Cup by a Youth Olympic Games qualified athlete. Reigning youth world champion Sam Avezou of France, Lukan’s teammate Lucka Rakovec and Laura Rogora of Italy also competed in semi-finals with Arc and Lukan.

Results, replays, highlights, photos and more can be found on the Briançon event page.

The French television channel la chaine L’Équipe will broadcast delayed tomorrow finals of IFSC World Cup Chamonix 2018, the first time an IFSC World Cup event in France is broadcast by a French broadcasting company.

Tune-in at 15:00 GMT+2 to watch the programming, to be streamed simultaneously at la chaine L’Équipe's online platform, and get ready for the action by watching the trailer below.

The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, a celebration of sport, diversity and gender equality, will be the first edition of an Olympic competition with strict gender equality and this spirit will guide the Opening Ceremony and the lighting of the cauldron, which will be lit by both a woman and a man.

The ceremony, that will be held at the iconic Buenos Aires Obelisk on October 6^th, will start at 20:00 (local time) and will be completely inclusive and open to all the public. The event will mark the beginning of the biggest multisport and cultural celebration in the world, that will last for 12 days while inspiring a whole generation with the examples of hard work and perseverance set by the 4000 athletes.

The full news and more information on the Opening Ceremony can be found on the Buenos Aires 2018 website.

Ivo Ferriani, President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and member of the IOC, visited IFSC headquarters in Torino on July 19^th.

Among the topics discussed during the meeting, President Scolaris highlighted the importance of sharing among International Federations. Originally founded in 1923 (FIBT) and accepted as an Olympic sport the following year, the IBSF has almost a century of sport experience and Olympic history. The meeting took place with just over two months until the first appearance of Sport Climbing in an Olympic context at the Youth Olympic Games and two years before the first Olympic Games for Sport Climbing.

"We are very pleased to have met with Mr. Ferriani, especially in light of our new Olympic challenges. We are confident that exchanges with such experienced Federations can guide us on our path, towards a fulfilling future for Sport Climbing," says President Scolaris.

On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board approved the competition schedule for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The action-packed programme will feature a record 33 sports and 339 events and will run from July 24^th to August 9^the, 2020.

Qualifications for Sport Climbing will take place on August 4^th-5^th at 16:30-22:30 (local time), followed by the Finals on August 6-7 at 16:30-22:40. All rounds will be held at the Aomi Urban Sports Venue, where Basketball 3x3 will also take place on July 25^th-29^th.

Tokyo 2020 took a holistic approach when compiling the schedule, taking into account the technical rules and regulations of the various international federations, gender balance, the popularity of individual sports in Japan, operational considerations, athletes' experience & well-being, and the global TV audience.

The full news can be found on the Tokyo 2020 website, and click here for the Tokyo 2020 schedule.

In occasion of the July EB Teleconference, the IFSC appointed Silvia Verdolini, previously IFSC Sport Officer, to the position of IFSC Sport Director during its IFSC Executive Board meeting on Wednesday and Alessandro Di Cato, previously Event Officer, to the position of IFSC Calendar Coordinator. Since joining the team in 2017, Verdolini and Di Cato have coordinated and overseen projects of the Sport Department with a strong passion for Sport Climbing and valuable insight. The full list of IFSC staff can be found here.

Additional topics of the monthly teleconference included reports of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 preparations, which focused on the venues, schedules and Olympic Games Qualification System. The Sport Department also gave updates on the 2019 calendar, the criteria of event selection and coordination of Paraclimbing events, among other matters. The Marketing & Communications Department reported on ongoing projects which aim to continue increasing the visibility of Sport Climbing among new audiences in the immediate future.

The next IFSC Executive Board meeting will be held on August, 21st.

The first Paraclimbing Cup of 2018 takes place on July 18th and over 200 athletes from 31 nations will compete in Briançon (FRA) and Arco (ITA) on July 20-21st and 27th-28th, the next IFSC World Cup events. 

Austrian Jessica Pilz matched reigning Lead season champion Janja Garnbret (SLO) in the standings by completing the final route in Chamonix. The star athletes swapped first and second place at the opening Lead events, and they will aim for gold again in Briançon and Arco. Like Pilz, compatriot and season leader Jakob Schubert has yet to miss the podium in Lead in 2018, but Italian Stefano Ghisolfi gained ground with a top in finals last week. Both men will have to contest with Alexander Megos (GER) in Briançon and both Megos and Lead world champion Adam Ondra (CZE) in Arco.

Since missing the opener in Moscow, former Speed world record holder Danyil Boldyrev raced to three medals and could take the lead in Arco. He must surpass frontrunner Dmitrii Timofeev to do so, who leads another strong Russian team alongside veteran Mariia Krasavina. 2017 Speed season champion Anouck Jaubert exited finals early in Chamonix, but the 2018 leader should rebound in Arco. Also keep an eye on Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) and Bassa Mawem (FRA), who have recorded several quick times in 2018. More starters can be found on the Briançon and Arco event pages.

13 qualified athletes for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 are currently registered to compete across Briançon and Arco. Meiringen Bouldering finalist Sandra Lettner of Austria is set to climb in her first IFSC Lead World Cup this week. Argentinian Valentina Aguado will join her in Briançon and compete in both Lead and Speed disciplines the following week. Shuta Tanaka of Japan is slated to travel to both events as well after qualifying for Lead finals last weekend. Keep an eye on Slovenian Vita Lukan too, who just missed the finals cut in Villars (9th) and Chamonix (11th).

9 months after Sheffield, Paraclimbing season champions return to action in Briançon. Visually impaired athletes Francisco Javier Aguilar Amoedo (ESP), John Churcher (GBR), Tanja Glusic (SLO) and Sabine Ladel (FRA), leg amputee Julien Gasc (FRA), forearm amputees Kevin Bartke (GER), Ismael Ewan Sanchez Mcilroy (ESP) and Melinda Vigh (HUN), and in the RP categories (limited range, power, stability) Hannah Baldwin (GBR), Mathieu Besnard (FRA) and Mor Michael Sapir (ISR) were all season champions last year and are back on the start list. Be sure to follow Briançon winner Urko Carmona Barandiaran (ESP) as well, who topped every problem last year for gold.

Special video programming will be provided for the Paraclimbing Cup debut in Briançon. Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on July 18th to watch the live streaming of finals, and watch the live streaming of semi-final and final rounds in Lead and Speed on July 20th-21st and 28th. Join the chat on Twitter during the shows at #IFSCwc.

Stefano Ghisolfi of Italy and Jessica Pilz of Austria completed the only tops in finals, Pilz’s first IFSC World Cup victory, and former Chamonix winners Danyil Boldyrev of Ukraine and Aleksandra Rudzinska of Poland were back in gold this week at the 5th Speed and 2nd Lead event of 2018 in Chamonix, France.

The 5th IFSC Speed World Cup finals brought many surprises, and in the end two long-time Speed stars donned gold medals again in the French commune of Chamonix. 2017 rivals and Speed world record holders Anouck Jaubert and Iuliia Kaplina were both eliminated in the first round of finals on Thursday. Rudzinska and Anna Tsyganova (RUS) advanced to the big final after edging ever-steady Mariia Krasavina (RUS) and home competitor Aurelie Sarisson in close semi-final races. Six years after topping the podium in Chamonix, Rudzinska returned to the spotlight, the sole athlete to record no times above 8 seconds on the Speed wall. In the small final, Krasavina defended her bronze medal.

The surprises continued in the men’s final, with Speed world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) and Villars victor Aleksandr Shikov (RUS) ending their competition in the first round. Bassa Mawem (FRA) recorded the fastest time in Chamonix (5.63s) and no times above 6 seconds, but the crowd favourite slipped high up on the 15-metre Speed wall in the semi-final race against Boldyrev. In an exciting final matchup, Boldyrev slapped the finishing pad fractions of a second before season leader Dmitrii Timofeev for his second gold medal in four years in Chamonix. In the small final, Mawem steadily climbed to a bronze medal after an early fall from Speed legend Qixin Zhong (CHN).

Lead finals took place the following evening in front of another packed crowd in Chamonix. 8 women and 8 men attempted powerful last routes with dynamic moves at the beginning, a few good rests throughout the steepest section and technical sequences on the concluding panel of the tall Lead wall. Villars victor Janja Garnbret (SLO) surpassed the previous high point and slapped one hand on the final hold for her second podium in 2018 in as many events, but only one woman turned an attempt into a Top. Pilz, who earlier set the high point in semi-finals, creeped across the final holds to match on the top jug and clip the chains with 7 seconds remining, her first IFSC World Cup victory and second podium in a row. Jain Kim (KOR) also made full use of her 6 minutes to come within two moves from the top and remain on the podium as well.

The men’s final came down to the three semi-final leaders. Ghisolfi surpassed all previous marks and concluded his week in Chamonix with another crowd-pleasing top on Friday, his fourth IFSC World Cup win. Alexander Megos (GER) peeled off at the same powerful move on the headwall which stumped Domen Skofic (SLO) for bronze on countback. Villars winner Jakob Schubert ended the event by falling just shy of the top hold to stand on his second podium in 2018.

Shuta Tanaka became the first Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete to compete in an IFSC Lead World Cup final this season in Chamonix, reaching the headwall in his first final to place 6th. French teammates Nolwenn Arc and youth world champion Sam Avezou performed in front of their home crowd in semi-finals, joined by Keita Dohi and Tanaka of Japan and  Vita Lukan (SLO). In Speed, YiLing Song of China returned to the finals, recording her personal best time of the season (8.19s) on the way to 9th place.

Results, replays, highlights, photos and more can be found on the Chamonix event page.

On July 18th the IFSC will feature special programming straight from the Paraclimbing Cup 2018 debut in Briançon.

Video highlights of qualifications will be available on the Briançon event page for Paraclimbing shortly after the round finishes at 15:00 (GMT+2). Clear your evening schedule for the next round of action, the first live streaming of Paraclimbing this year. Finals of all categories will be shown at 20:00 (GMT+2) on the IFSC homepage, and the replay will be displayed on the event page afterwards.

Featuring world champions and season winners, the first Paraclimbing Cup of 2018 is set to be a great show. 2017 standouts Sapir, Besnard, Sanchez Mcilroy, Major, Gasc, Aguila, and Churcher on the men’s side, and Jarrige, Baldwin, Plank, Ladel, Glusic, Pellandra for the women are all on the start list. The event will be a test of preparations for the IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018 in September. Be sure to tune-in!

The schedule for IFSC World Cup Chamonix has been updated.

Lead qualifications will now take place at 8:30 GMT+2 (local time).

The updated info sheet can be found here and on the Chamonix event page.

In continuing preparations for the upcoming IFSC World Championships, IFSC Marketing and Communications Director Anne Fuynel, Administration Director Francesca Jengo, and Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato met Austria Climbing representatives in Innsbruck on June 28^th.

Topping the list of meeting subjects was the host broadcast of the event on ORF TV. The IFSC World Championships  were discussed as an opportunity to provide more visibility and understanding to Sport Climbing - a goal which the IFSC and Austria Climbing are working closely to achieve - and different improvements were discussed with the aim of attracting a non-endemic audience. Logistics and general organisation of the event were also topics of the meeting.

“With the IFSC World Championships at our doorstep, we are delighted to see that we are on the right path and we are very confident in having high international exposure for this fantastic event,” said Anne Fuynel.

During the meeting, the IFSC delegation took time to visit KletterZentrum and Olympiaworld Arena, where the climbing will take place in Innsbruck.  Alessandro Di Cato commented on the venue locations:

“It’s a pleasure to see the different facilities dedicated to our IFSC World Championships. Thanks to the effort of Austria Climbing, these venues are ideal structures for hosting major international Sport Climbing events.”

The French television channel la chaine L’Équipe, launched in 1998 and now the largest sports channel in France, now broadcasts multiple Sport Climbing events in 2018.

Most recently, Alex Puccio's thrilling conclusion to IFSC World Cup Vail and all the Bouldering finals was broadcast delayed on la chaine Equipe last week on July, 5^th.  The final round of the opener to the IFSC World Cup season in Meiringen  was also broadcast delayed on la chaine L’Équipe, which aired the split finals on its online platform on April, 21^st.

Following this success, la chaine L’Équipe has agreed to provide delayed coverage of additional  IFSC World Cup events this year, including both Lead and Speed finals in Chamonix and the Bouldering grand finale in Munich. Chamonix will be the first time an IFSC World Cup event in France is broadcast by a French broadcasting company.

“This development represents a major step forward for Sport Climbing in France and internationally. la chaine L’Équipe is watched by millions of viewers, which can be only positive when looking forward to future Olympic opportunities,”  says Pierre-Henri Paillasson, IFSC Vice-President Treasurer and Finances.

Stay tuned to the IFSC homepage for news about upcoming broadcasts from la chaine L’Équipe.

Janja Garnbret and Jakob Schubert began the 2018 Lead season like they ended 2017, and Anouck Jaubert and Aleksandr Shikov improved their positioning in the Speed season rankings this weekend in Villars.

The 4th showdown of the 2018 Speed season took place under the lights on Friday in Villars, Switzerland. YiLing Song of China took advantage of a slip from Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) to enter the semi-final with Victoire Andrier, Jaubert and Mariia Krasavina of Russia. Jaubert bested the 17-year-old to face-off in the big final against French teammate Andrier, earning the best finish of her IFSC World Cup career. Holding the fastest time of the day (7.83s), Jaubert again stopped the clock in under 8 seconds to claim her second consecutive gold medal and third victory of the season. In the small final, Krasavina raced to her 26th podium.

In the men’s bracket, Russian teammates Shikov and Aleksandr Shilov also climbed side-by-side in the big final after knocking out former world record holder Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) and fastest man of the day (5.80s) Bassa Mawem of France. Shikov stumbled early, but he kept his composure and won the gold medal in an exciting big final after a misstep from Shilov. The victory improved Shikov’s positioning in the season rankings, now only 10 points behind Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) who finished in 11th place in Villars. In the small final, Boldyrev held on for his 16th podium.

Garnbret of Slovenia and Austria’s Schubert closed out the 2017 Lead season in Kranj with gold medals, and both star athletes picked up where they left off on Saturday night. The men’s final route curved across the steep Lead wall, and most athletes took advantage of a heel-hook rest before attacking large pinches defending the headwall. 2017 runner-up Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA) began the round by climbing into the first technical moves of the final section for a provisional lead. Reigning Combined season champion Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) matched the mark for a Bronze medal on countback to qualifications. The men neither finalist could catch were 2017 season champion Romain Desgranges (FRA) and Schubert. Desgranges dominated the static moves preceding the final lunge, and Schubert fell leaping to the same high point to win the Lead debut of 2018 on countback to semi-finals.

The women’s Lead final featured dynamic moves halfway up the wall, followed by precise positioning on tiny crimps leading into the upper panel. Manon Hily (FRA) set the high point in her first IFSC World Cup final before three athletes improved the mark. Jain Kim (KOR) executed a figure four seen in her Bouldering to surpass the dynamic section and fall at the final crimp, controlled by Jessica Pilz (AUT) for Bronze. The final athlete to climb in Villars, Garnbret completed a 180-spin, dangling by one arm, followed by a pull-up without feet. The 2017 Lead and Combined season champion calmly chalked-up amidst the challenging crimps in the last section and fell at the Top for the victory.

Song’s 4th place matches the best result at an IFSC World Cup this season by a Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athlete. Vita Lukan (SLO) and Shuta Tanaka (JPN) excelled in Lead, finishing just short of the finals cut in 9th and 12th place. Combined world champion Elena Krasovskaia (RUS) also climbed.

Results, replays, highlights, photos and more can be found on the Villars event page.

Heights are back in the 2018 IFSC World Cup series! Champions in Lead climbing return to action and the race to the top of the rankings continues in Speed climbing on July 6th-7th in Villars, Switzerland, followed by a rematch in both Sport Climbing disciplines on July 11th-13th in Chamonix, France.

Reigning Lead season champions Romain Desgranges (FRA) and Janja Garnbret (SLO) began their campaigns for the title with victories in Villars last year. Both stars will aim for gold again this week in the season opener. Garnbret dominated the Combined rankings in 2017, claiming more victories (9) in a single IFSC World Cup season than any athlete before her. She showed similar signs of excellence in the beginning of the Bouldering season and should impress again on the towering Lead walls of Villars and Chamonix. Desgranges narrowly missed the top of the Lead podium in front of thousands of home fans last year in Chamonix, and the top-ranked Lead athlete will again be one to watch this year. Also on the Lead season podium in 2017, Stefano Ghisolfi (ITA), Jain Kim (KOR) and Anak Verhoeven (BEL) are all on the start list for Villars. Keep an eye on Ashima Shiraishi (USA), who soared to 8th place in the season rankings in half as many events, as well as Alexander Megos of Germany, who both ended 2017 with medals.

On the Speed wall, Bassa Mawem and Anouck Jaubert of France hold the fastest times in 2018 (5.61s; 7.32s), and Jaubert matched the women’s Speed world record at the season opener in Moscow. They will race against another formidable team from Russia, who has yet to lose the National Team ranking in Speed climbing. Dmitrii Timofeev of Russia moved to first place in the season rankings with two strong performances in China in May, and Elena Timofeeva has also already stood on two podiums this season. Speed legend QiXin Zhong of China will race in the IFSC World Cup series for the first time this season in Villars and Chamonix, and men’s Speed world record holder and 2017 Athlete of the Year Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) returns after missing the last event. The full list of starting athletes, schedules, 2017 replays and photos can be found on the Villars and Chamonix event pages on the IFSC website.

13 qualified athletes for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires are registered to compete in Villars and Chamonix, the most at an IFSC World Cup event. Nolwenn Arc (FRA), 11th in Villars and Chamonix last year, and 2017 Villars finalist Laura Rogora (ITA) climb for the first time this year in Villars. Arc will be joined by French teammates Sam Avezou and Nathan Martin in Chamonix, their first IFSC World Cup of 2018. Reigning Youth A Lead world champion Shuta Tanaka of Japan will make his IFSC World Cup debut on Friday in Lead and Speed, and Alejandra Contreras of Chile will test both Sport Climbing disciplines next week in Chamonix

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on July 6-7 and 12-13 to watch the live streaming of semi-final and final rounds, and join the chat on Twitter during the show at #IFSCwc.

National Federations, please take note of a change to the registration deadline for IFSC World Cup Munich 2018.

After an analysis made by the Event Organisers, a very high number of participants is expected this year in Munich. In order to properly plan the event, the deadline for all National Federations to register for IFSC Climbing World Cup Munich 2018 has been changed to Wednesday, the 4th of July, at 23.59 CEST.

Please note that further analysis will be made following this date, in respect to the number of competitors and in order to make the event sustainable for the Athletes, the Event Organisers and the IFSC.

In just 100 days, the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be alive with the first ever street-party style opening ceremony that will mark the start of the Youth Olympic Games - the first edition with gender equality - that takes place from 6-18 October this year.

To help count down the days to the YOG and spread the word nationwide, throughout August and September a Torch Tour will travel through five geographical regions in Argentina before arriving in the capital to light up the city on 6 October.

Four thousand athletes will be competing in 32 sports at the Games, which for the first time in Olympic history will have an equal number of men and women. Four new sports will make their debut at Buenos Aires 2018: Breaking, Karate, Roller Speed Skating and Sport Climbing.

Supporting the young athletes in their final journey to YOG are hundreds of inspiring Young Change Makers and Athlete Role Models. Hailing from various backgrounds in sport, including Olympic and World Champions, this group will encourage the young athletes throughout the next 100 days and act as mentors during Games-time.

The complete news can be found on the Buenos Aires 2018 website here.

Studies and sport, the 2^nd edition of the World University Sport Climbing Championships, which took place this year in Bratislava (SVK), was a celebration of both aspects of the life of University student athletes. After four days of Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing last week, the winners shared their triumphs with the organising team.

"I am very satisfied as I was struggling with injuries the past two years," said Jan Kriz (CZE), who raced to some of the lowest times in Speed qualifications and finals (6.14s) on Friday. "This is the second month since I was competing at the World Cup in Moscow, where I achieved fifth place. At that time, I started to feel that my shape is improving and I am finally healthy. Now, I just confirmed it. Already on Tuesday, I will do the state exams at my university in Brno where I study coaching of swimming. That was also the reason why I decided to focus only on Speed climbing this year. But I will try all events in some time. I have the next three World Cups in my schedule - Switzerland, France, Italy. I hope my shape will be OK like here in Bratislava."

Speed season champion Anouck Jaubert (FRA) competed in Bratislava last week as well, taking the victory on the women's side after racing to under 8 seconds (7.99s) in the semi-final: “The competition was really tough for me as the wall was a bit different than those at the other competitions. I did not do well at the training but step by step, I learned it. I got used to it and I am very glad I managed to win. Speed is my main event and I started the others only this year."

In Bouldering finals in the evening, victor Elias Weiler of Austria - who also placed 2^nd in the Combined - was the sole student athlete to top every problem: "In this moment, I am very happy I managed it. The last boulder was very difficult and I am glad I managed it as the only climber. I think the weather helped me today because it was not as hot as yesterday and the climbing was less complicated in such weather. This is my first victory on the international level and I am over the moon."

American Megan Lynch also topped the Bouldering results, maintaining an edge over a strong group of finalists by scoring every zone point and using few attempts to complete three out of four problems: "I am living my dream. It is my first world title ever. Bouldering in my favourite event and I am glad it went so well. Bratislava was amazing, I felt so well here and the fans were cheering for us. The support of my teammates also helped me a lot. They are my inspiration and I am glad I can celebrate this victory with them. I feel on top of the world and I cannot even describe the feelings well.“

On the final day of the competition, Mei Kotake (JPN) rose to the highest point on the women's route of the Lead wall, and 2nd place in the Combined results: "It was pretty difficult but now I feel relieved and happy. I wanted to get the Top but I am happy for this result. Yesterday, I focused on my climbing in Bouldering but my body condition was not very good because of the cold weather. Now we stay in Austria before another World Cup. I already graduated last March. I studied nutrition in Tokyo. Now, I will only focus on climbing thanks to the support of my team and sponsors."

Fedir Samoilov gave the fans one last exciting performance by reaching the top of the tall climbing wall before time expired to secure both the Combined and Lead title: "I think the route was really perfect. It was quite hard but I like it like this. Everything was perfect. I really like the routes of the rout-setter Martin Zbranek. I am mostly a Lead climber so I enjoyed it the most of all three events,” said Samoilov, who studies at the National University of Sports in Kiev, Ukraine.

Julia Chanourdie also brought home a gold medal in the Combined on Saturday after consistently competing well in all three disciplines of Sport Climbing.

Full results, replays of final rounds, photos, interviews and more can be found on the Bratislava event page.

Happy Olympic Day!

Olympic Day has been marked on June 23^rd every year since 1948, making this year’s anniversary the 70th Olympic Day. It recognises the foundation of the International Olympic Committee, formed in Paris on June 23^rd, 1894. Local events aim to raise awareness of the role sport and physical activity play in day-to-day life.

This year’s theme was United by, and how Olympism and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect can unite the world.

One thing everyone can be united by is movement and sport. The Olympic Channel also invited athletes and fans to celebrate Olympic Day by adding on to the viral move "flossin" by The Backpack Kid to create an original Olympic Dance.

The IFSC encouraged National Federations and their Sport Climbing athletes to join the celebration. Additional events were held across the word, from Paris to Tokyo. The Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l'Escalade (FFME) opened a climbing wall in downtown Paris to commemorate the occasion and introduce Sport Climbing to the public. Tokyo 2020 held a competition for its partner universities, with students taking part in sports events, including Sport Climbing and Basketball 3x3 which will both make their Olympic debuts in the Japanese capital.

A University student takes on the Bouldering wall at Tokyo 2020's Olympic Day celebration. © Tokyo 2020 / Shugo TAKEMI 

More information can be found in the news on the websites of the IOC and the Olympic Channel.

Towering walls, packed crowds and star athletes, the Lead climbing season opens in July and accredited representatives of the media are encouraged to attend. If not done so already, media may continue to register for 2018 events via the online media accreditation form on the IFSC website.

In addition, all media may now register as well at the link above for the IFSC Youth World Championships in Moscow taking place from August 9^th to 16^th, the showdown of the best young Sport Climbing athletes in the world and precursor to the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 in October.

Media will receive an email confirming the application has been submitted, and another email granting/denying accreditation. Registration will be closed 1 week before the event for TVs and 2 days for other media.

For any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The 2018 World University Sport Climbing Championship will take place this week from June 20^th to 23^rd in Bratislava, Slovakia, on the biggest climbing wall in the country.

Around 150 competitors from 26 countries will compete in the capital city of Slovakia to claim the title of the world’s best university sport climber. Julia Chanourdie (FRA) and Seungwoon Cho (KOR) topped the Combined result of the first edition ever in 2016 in Shanghai, China. Runner-up Dmitrii Fakiryanov and Chanourdie each donned two gold medals in the premiere in Bouldering and Lead, while Anna Brozek and Marcin Dzienski of Poland and Stanislav Kokorin (RUS) excelled in Speed.

Brozek, Chanourdie and Dzienski return with a full cast of IFSC World Cup stars this year. Be sure to follow the performances this week of Speed climbing world record holder Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) and a strong French team which includes Bouldering standout Fanny Gibert, Lead specialist Julia Chanourdie and Speed season champion Anouck Jaubert. Japan brings a formidable lineup too led by Yuji Fujiwaki, Mei Kotake and Kaito Watanabe. Also among the competitors are IFSC World Cup medallists Kostiantyn Pavlenko and Fedir Samoilov of Ukraine, as well as Slovaks Robert Luby, Andrej Capko and Jakub Jiří Svub climbing in front of their home crowd.

Track the Sport Climbing action throughout the competition on the Bratislava event page, and more information can be found in the preview press release.

The IFSC is pleased to welcome Erica Ricci, who joins the Administration department as Administration Assistant. She will report to Administration Director Francesca Jengo of the IFSC.

Erica is Italian and will be based at IFSC Headquarters in Torino. She studied and worked in the UK where she spent 6 years. Upon her return to Italy, she has been working for four years for a European scientific association in a similar role. Erica is also a passionate climber and mountain lover.

"As the IFSC continues to grow, we are very pleased to welcome Erica to the IFSC," says Jengo.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) issued an RFP regarding its media and sponsorship rights in Japan. The IFSC's current, 3-year media rights deal with Tokyo-based Synca Creations is due for renewal at the end of this year. From 2019, the IFSC intends to package media and sponsorship together to increase total value and synergy in the Japanese market.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris commented, “The growth of Sport Climbing in Japan has been unusually fast, but it reflects a trend we now observe across the world. The growing awareness of Sport Climbing is visible in a booming use of values, codes, athletes and images of our amazing sport by more and more international brands, all around the world. The market and key commercial actors are recognising the assets of Sport Climbing and this interest has catapulted the sport into the arena of main stream sports, and a world full of possibilities.”

With the deadline for submissions in September, the IFSC expects to conclude its RFP process early in Q4. More information can be found in the official press release, and for any questions please contact Steven Morris at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On May 12^th, IFSC Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel and IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer attended the IOC Strategic Communication Workshop in Lausanne along with representatives of different International Federations.

During the workshop, many key topics were covered such as the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and upcoming Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, where Sport Climbing will make its first appearance.

A presentation regarding the value the YOG will bring to Sport Climbing was made by the IFSC Marketing & Communications Director and IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination. Among the vast range of points highlighted in the presentation, a fundamental topic was the unique experience that the YOG represents for young Sport Climbing athletes and how it will help the IFSC to widen its audience.

For the first time, American viewers can tune-in on the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA’s premiere telecast of IFSC World Cup Vail on Sunday, June 10th at 9pm ET, and first linear replay on Tuesday June 12th at 10am ET.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA is a partnership between NBCUniversal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is the first localised version of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel, providing a more personalised experience to fans in the United States. Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA launched on Saturday 15 July.

The IFSC and the JMSCA (Japanese Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association), next year's local organiser, have finally set the date for the 2019 IFSC Plenary Assembly. 

The IFSC Plenary Assembly will take place in Tokyo (Japan) on Saturday 16^th March 2019, and will be preceded by the PA pre-session and a series of workshops the days before.

“Japan is calling in 2019: the IFSC World Championships in August and the IFSC Plenary Assembly in March, great events waiting for the first Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020," says IFSC President Marco Scolaris.

All the relevant documents will be made available in due time by e-mail. For any questions, please contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On May 24^th, IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer, attended the first “ANOC World Beach Games” meeting of Technical Delegates, in San Diego (USA).

This event will be held there from October 10^th to 16^th and will feature Sport Climbing during two days.

20 male and 20 female athletes will be sorted out through a selection process defined by the IFSC. The event will take place in Mission Beach, San Diego. Sport Climbing will share the venue along with three other action sports (Skate, BMX freestyle and 3x3 Basketball), very close to the Ocean where Beach and Water Sports will occur.

In order to communicate prior to the event, the Olympic Committee will look for 4 international ambassador athletes and the IFSC will actively promote the event.
Last but not least, the event will be broadcasted and webcasted. Specific information will be available on the IFSC website soon.

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) is an international organisation that affiliates the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Puccio won gold in the last moments and the United States claimed two medals at IFSC World Cup Vail today. Japan continued to excel in the 2018 Bouldering season, placing four athletes on the podium.

Six Japanese athletes qualified for finals in Vail, as well as three American athletes competing on their home turf. Rei Sugimoto of Japan started strong, solving the opening dyno and friction climbing of M1 on his first attempt. His teammate Tomoa Narasaki and Sean Bailey of the United States matched the performance with flashes of their own. Bailey and Sugimoto pulled away on M2, adding another flash on the pure power problem. Sugimoto took the lead by maintaining his balance and showing flexibility on the M3 slab for his third top, which Narasaki also completed. Bailey needed a flash of M4 to regain the lead and nearly accomplished the feat with a packed crowd cheering behind him, but he fell with one hand on the final hold. The door was open for Narasaki to do the same, but like Bailey he came up just short of the top. It was the second victory for Sugimoto, who last won gold in 2013. Bailey placed 2nd for his first IFSC World Cup medal, completing two tops in one less attempt than Narasaki. Season leader Jernej Kruder of Slovenia placed 4th.

In the women’s final, Miho Nonaka of Japan took an early lead with a quick top of the W1 slab. 2017 Vail finalist Alex Puccio energised the home crowd by keeping her composure on the slippery volumes to top with under 40 seconds remaining. Both athletes completed the jump and strong climbing of W2, as well as Fanny Gibert of France. Only Nonaka’s teammate Akiyo Noguchi found the solution to W3, using her full body to wrestle past compression moves and the tenuous upper section to join the running for gold. When Gibert and Noguchi couldn’t solve W4, the grand finale in Vail came down to the last climber on the last problem. Needing a top to surpass Nonaka, Puccio powered through the sequence of pinches, scored the outstretched zone point and stuck the final dyno with one hand to secure her second victory since 2009 in Vail. Nonaka placed 2nd with two tops to regain the lead in the season rankings ahead of Noguchi, who finished in 3rd place with more zone points than Gibert for Japan’s fourth medal of the competition. For more results, visit the Vail event page on the IFSC website.

Among Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes, Hannah Meul of Germany came up just one top short of qualifying for her first IFSC World Cup final and placed 10th. Mao Nakamura of Japan also climbed well in Vail, competing alongside Meul in semi-finals and finishing in 13th place. Nakamura’s compatriot Keita Dohi just missed the semi-finals cut.

The complete results, highlights, replays and photos can be found on the Vail event page. Stay tuned to the IFSC website for information about the finals replay for viewers from the USA.

From May 22^nd to 24^th, both IFSC President Marco Scolaris and Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer attended their fourth meeting in Tokyo with the Tokyo Organising Committee of Olympic and Paralympic Games’ (TOCOG) delegation. 

This fourth meeting, mainly run together with the FIBA, focused on the event venue. The focus was on discerning the best possible layout of the venue so that both sports could take maximum advantage of the event and offer an amazing show, as well as the best conditions to compete. The test event and its organisation were also among the discussions.

“There are many challenges ahead of us, but I have the feeling that visit after visit with TOCOG we work more and more together as a team”, said President Scolaris.

Finally, the visit provided the opportunity for a meeting between President Scolaris and JMSCA leaders regarding preparations for the IFSC World Championships in 2019.

For nine days, the Youth Olympic Village received more than 2,000 schoolchildren who left messages to cheer on the young athletes while also participating in sport initiation activities. The messages will be delivered to the young athletes when they enter the Village and start their Olympic adventure. The notes were organised into four categories: respect, excellence, friendship and passion.

The visit comes at the same time as the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee (BAYOGOC) meeting with the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission, which outlined how their vision of bringing sport to the young people of Argentina has come to fruition.

Using the Youth Olympic Games as a catalyst, BAYOGOC have implemented +1300 sporting and cultural events and initiatives in schools and community sports clubs over the last four years. 1 million young people will have actively participated in YOG-themed activities being implemented by a dedicated young team from sport initiation and inspirational talks with Olympians to sport-themed cultural projects.

Visit BuenosAires2018.com for the full stories on the young protagonists and reach of the youth engagement programs.

Following the live coverage of IFSC World Cup in Hachioji, Japan last weekend, the Olympic Channel will live stream the finals of the 6th IFSC Bouldering World Cup of the 2018 season taking place on June 8th and 9th in Vail, Colo. (USA) on its global digital platform.

Live streaming of the IFSC Bouldering World Cup will be available in the USA and worldwide on the IFSC YouTube channel or the Olympic Channel. Both streams will be accessible directly on www.ifsc-climbing.org.

The full preview of the event and schedule can be found on the Vail event page on the IFSC website.

The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform, global media destination where fans can experience the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round, and is available worldwide via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.

Omega, the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games for the past 86 years, unveiled today the countdown clock for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

The unveiling ceremony was held near the iconic Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires, which will be the epicentre for the opening of Buenos Aires 2018 in an outdoor ceremony that will capture the whole planet’s attention.

The Omega countdown clock, which stands at six metres high, was inspired by the Floralis Generica, a metal sculpture in Buenos Aires that was also used as a source of inspiration for the emblem of the Youth Olympic Games, which will take place from October 6th-18th in the Argentine capital.

More information can be found in the countdown and Omega articles at BuenosAires2018.com.

Akiyo Noguchi won her third consecutive IFSC Bouldering World Cup and Japan claimed four medals in total this weekend in Hachioji, Japan, the fifth Bouldering event of 2018. Gabriele Moroni won his first IFSC World Cup in the last moments, and Ekaterina Kipriianova stood on her first IFSC World Cup podium.

First in the team Bouldering rankings, Japan continued to excel at home in Hachioji, sending eleven athletes to semi-finals and six athletes to finals. Fresh off two victories in May in China, Akiyo Noguchi topped every problem in her qualification group and completed all four boulders on her first attempt in semi-finals. The four-time Bouldering season champion also flashed the first problem in finals, sticking the opening W1 dyno under the lights of the Esforta Arena Hachioji to take a lead she would never give up. Her first fall since the second qualifying problem came on W2 at the challenging outstretched move to score the zone point. Noguchi and her compatriot Miho Nonaka eventually found the solution, as well as Ekaterina Kipriianova of Russia.

When W3 bested the six female finalists, the podium placements came down to the fourth and final problem, a series of half-moon volumes requiring technique and strength. Kipriianova fell just short of the zone point for third place and her first IFSC World Cup medal, and Nonaka put the pressure on Noguchi by flashing W4. Last to climb, Noguchi ended the women’s Bouldering final with a ninth flash to win her 21st IFSC World Cup and take the lead in the Bouldering season rankings. Two events remain, and Noguchi and Nonaka have already secured spots on the season podium.

In the men’s final, every finalist struggled on the precarious moves of the opening slab problem except Gabriele Moroni of Italy. Moroni made the first moves on M1 look easy and lunged for the top hold and an early lead. Jongwon Chon (KOR) joined Moroni at the top of the leaderboard after M2, powering past compression moves on a steep section of the wall. Rei Sugimoto jumped into the mix on a powerful M3, completing the sole top in four attempts with 10 seconds remaining. Sugimoto and Chon could not solve the concluding problem, leaving the door open for Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) who took the lead with a crowd-pleasing flash of M4. Last on the wall, Moroni scored the zone point and continued for his second top of the night to win his first IFSC World Cup since he began competing in 2004. Sugimoto scored the zone point for Japan’s fourth medal.

Among Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes, Keita Dohi and Mao Nakamura of Japan performed best, finishing among the top 40 athletes and each topping two qualification problems. DiChong Huang and YuFei Pan of China also competed.

The complete results, highlights, replays and photos can be found on the Hachioji event page.

The schedule for IFSC World Cup Hachioji has been amended.

Please visit the event page for the updated info sheet or at the following link.

A Steering Committee of 20 athlete representatives from around the world, assembled by the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee, released the initial components of its Athlete Charter.

The Charter is an athlete-driven initiative - developed by athletes, for athletes - which aims to establish basic athlete rights and responsibilities. It was first discussed at the IOC International Athletes’ Forum in November 2017. A subsequent, first-round survey was completed by nearly 200 athlete representatives to establish major ideas to be included in the Charter.

The document is currently organised around five key topics, to address the most relevant issues for athletes: 1) Integrity and Clean Sport, 2) Governance and Communication, 3) Career and Marketing, 4) Safeguarding, 5) Sports Competition. All elite athletes will be invited to take part in a second-phase survey in two weeks, to continue to shape the Charter and share their voice.

Visit Athlete365, the official website of the IOC dedicated to athletes, for the complete news, and more principles of the Athlete Charter and sign-up for athletes to join the conversation can be found here.

The 2018 IFSC Bouldering World Cup season continues in June with the 5th event in Hachioji, Japan, and penultimate event in Vail, USA. Season podiums could already be decided when the best Bouldering athletes in the world cross continents to compete for more gold medals and climb the rankings.

Japan has topped the IFSC World Cup team Bouldering ranking every year since 2014, and they are on track to repeat the feat in 2018. Altogether, 38 Japanese athletes are registered to compete in front of their home crowd in Hachioji. Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka are the only athletes this season to stand on the podium at every Bouldering event. They won three of four competitions so far, and Noguchi swept both sets of the China Tour this month. Another victory from either star at the Esforta Arena Hachioji on Sunday will secure a spot on the Bouldering season podium.

Among the men, Kokoro Fujii and Tomoa Narasaki both stood atop a podium this year and rank among the top five Bouldering athletes, alongside Rei Sugimoto. Also on the start list for Hachioji is Combined youth world champion Meichi Narasaki, Yoshiyuki Ogata and Keita Watabe, who all won medals in Hachioji and Vail in 2017.

For over a decade, Vail has welcomed the most elite Bouldering athletes to Colorado. This year, the eleventh IFSC World Cup in Vail marks the penultimate event of the 2018 Bouldering season. In addition to Japan, also keep an eye on Slovenia in Vail. If Jernej Kruder excels in Hachioji, he will have the chance to clinch a place on the Bouldering season podium the following week. His teammates Gregor Vezonik, who twice joined him on the Bouldering podium this year, and Katja Kadic, who competed in finals in Vail in 2017, are also on the start lists for Hachioji and Vail.
From the United States, 40 athletes will climb on their home stage in Vail. Expect former Vail winner and 2017 finalist Alex Puccio to standout again, as well as PanAmerican youth Bouldering champion Brooke Raboutou, who placed 9th in 2017. Former Vail medallist Nathaniel Coleman and Sean Bailey, 11th in Vail last year, are also set to compete. The full list of starting athletes, schedules, 2017 replays and photos can be found on the Vail and Hachioji event pages on the IFSC website.

Japan and China each have two Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes on the start list for Hachioji. Asian youth Bouldering champions Keita Dohi (JPN) and Mao Nakamura (JPN) will compete in both Hachioji and Vail. Dohi continues to improve at IFSC World Cup events and just missed semi-finals last time in Tai’an, and Nakamura returns after twice making semi-finals. Asian youth Combined champion YuFei Pan (CHN) will compete in both events as well, and keep an eye in Vail on Galo Hernandez of Ecuador, competing in his first IFSC Bouldering World Cup, and Hannah Meul of Germany, competing in her 2nd event of the season.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on June 3rd and 9th to watch the live streaming of semi-final and final rounds:
www.ifsc-climbing.org
Join the chat on Twitter during the show at #IFSCwc.

The Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee has launched today its Youth Olympic mascot: #Pandi!

Inspired by the jaguar, one of the most emblematic wild cat species found in northern Argentina, the mascot aims to inspire youth to embrace sport as a tool to make the world a better place, while also raising awareness about the species' risk of extinction. The mascot is named with a "hashtag" at the beginning to demonstrate its strong online profile.

The mascot was foreshadowed in May with paw prints appearing on the famous Obelisk of Buenos Aires:

“…various footprints appeared that created a stir and raised the obvious question: whose are they? All that can be said for now is that it's a character destined to become a big protagonist at the third summer edition of the Youth Olympic Games.”

For more information about the furry protagonist, visit the complete news at BuenosAires2018.com.

Perfect Descent is the world leader in Speed climbing auto-belays. Distributed by Aerial Adventure Technologies, Perfect Descent auto-belays were selected by the IFSC in 2016 to provide a more secure and fair competition environment, as well as a cleaner field of play than the human belay previously in use. The Model 220 (now called Speed Drive™) used at IFSC World Cup and IFSC World Championship events also boasts the fastest industry retraction rate available on the auto-belay market at 15 feet per second (4.6m/s). As the IFSC Exclusive Auto-Belay Partner, Perfect Descent will be present throughout the 2018 season at IFSC events and on IFSC social media platforms.

“We are proud to partner with the IFSC and support the growing global community of Sport Climbing athletes. Speed climbing is a dynamic and demanding discipline and we are excited to have a role in promoting safe and fair competition,” says Andrew Miller, Vice-President of Aerial Adventure Technologies.

Following the inclusion of Sport Climbing to the Sports Programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 taking place in October, participation in the Speed climbing discipline at IFSC events increased by 25 percent last year and continues to grow in 2018. In-line with this growth, the IFSC and Perfect Descent are partnering to produce original video series with IFSC athletes which present the Speed climbing discipline, discuss the Olympic format and highlight the most memorable races of the 2018 season. Watch the first interview below with 3-time Combined world champion Sean McColl (CAN), 3-time Combined season champion Jakob Schubert (AUT) and reigning Speed world champion Anna Tsyganova (RUS).

“We are excited to partner with Perfect Descent to enhance the visibility of Speed climbing athletes and technology leading up to the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and Olympic Games in Tokyo,” says IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “We are all climbers, rising higher, faster and stronger together.”

Today, Friday 18th May, the IFSC Executive Board elected the city that will host the Olympic Qualifying event in 2019 ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Among four strong candidates (Chongqing, Los Angeles, Moscow and Toulouse) the Board chose the French city of Toulouse. The “Federation Francaise de la Montagne et de l’Escalade” (FFME) presented a very detailed candidature, based on its experience in organising international events.

A special recognition goes to the other candidates: CFR, CMA and USAC.

On Wednesday, 16th of May, Vice President Kobinata Toru and Sport Officer Silvia Verdolini attended the Climbing Wall summit (CWS) launching the “IFSC Official Sport Equipment” project in front of a room filled with holds and volumes producers.

In the interest of maintaining fairness in the field of play and of ensuring high standards in international competitions, the IFSC wishes to start a conversation towards the creation of the official sport equipment which will be authorized for use on the field of play during all IFSC events.
Hosted by the Climbing Wall Association in Denver (Colorado), the CWA Summit is one of the main indoor climbing industry's conference and trade show in the USA. More than 20 people representing various brands and producers joined the IFSC presentation and contributed to an open and fruitful discussion. The IFSC wishes to follow up the conversation with the European market and host a similar meeting at the OutDoor fair in Germany (full details here).
The IFSC Sport Department is grateful to the CWA and Bill Zimmerman, USA Climbing and IFSC International Chief Routesetter Chris Danielson for supporting the IFSC in the organisation and coordination of this successful meeting.
This was also the occasion for IFSC Board Member, Maria Izquierda, to meet IFSC partners EntrePrises and PerfectDescent. All IFSC representatives had the opportunity to attend a vast range of workshops and exhibition, and to compare vision and ideas for the future of the Sport Climbing with various stakeholders.

France’s Anouck Jaubert returned to the top of the Speed climbing podium and season rankings and Bassa Mawem won his first IFSC World Cup this weekend in Tai’an, China. In Bouldering, Alex Khazanov claimed his first gold medal and the first IFSC World Cup victory for Israel, and Akiyo Noguchi of Japan swept the first stage of the China Tour to rise to first place in the Bouldering season rankings.

The fastest Speed climbing athletes in the world continued to set low times on Sunday at the first IFSC World Cup in Tai’an. Bassa Mawem of France and Sabri Sabri of Indonesia never stopped the clock above 6 seconds. Mawem won his first IFSC World Cup by racing 7 hundredths of a second faster in the big final, and Sabri stood on his first podium. In the small final, top-ranked  Dmitrii Timofeev (RUS) returned to the podium after placing first last weekend in Chongqing, China, profiting from a false start by Aspar Jaelolo (INA).

Anouck Jaubert, 2017 season champion and winner in Moscow last month, returned to the top of the season rankings in Tai’an. Only once did she score a time above 8 seconds, and a flawless final race against Sari Agustina (INA) earned her a second gold medal in 2018. Agustina wore her first IFSC World Cup medal and Aries Susanti Rahayu made it three medals for Indonesia by outlasting Anna Brozek of Poland in the small final. Susanti Rahayu registered quick times all day, including 7.40 seconds in the opening race of the final.

The Bouldering final concluded the action in Tai’an, the 3rd Speed and 4th Bouldering event of the 2018 season. Every male finalist topped the dynamic first and third problems and couldn’t overcome the volumes on the second, leaving the final problem to decide the podium. The tiny crimps beginning M4 and two slippery spherical volumes concluding it provided a challenging and exciting finish. Only Alex Khazanov solved the sequence to seal the victory in his first final and secure Israel’s first IFSC World Cup medal. Jernej Kruder (SLO) flashed two problems to maintain the lead in the Bouldering season rankings, and Gregor Vezonik brings home a second medal for Slovenia by surpassing Rei Sugimoto (JPN) on countback to semi-finals.

4-time Bouldering season champion Akiyo Noguchi of Japan dominated in Chongqing last weekend and continued the excellent climbing in Tai’an. She flashed every problem in qualifications, never missed a top and required just five attempts to complete the final four problems and rise to first place in the season rankings. Her teammate and runner-up Miho Nonaka also topped every problem in finals: the W1 and W3 slabs, a powerful second problem and the difficult W4 which required both strength and technique to complete. Fanny Gibert (FRA) rounded out the podium with two tops, her first of 2018. Kyra Condie (USA) and Johanna Färber (AUT) competed in their first IFSC World Cup finals.

Among Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes, Keita Dohi continued to improve in the IFSC Bouldering World Cup, leading up to October. He topped 3 qualification problems and just missed the semi-finals cut. Seongmin Eom of Korea competed in his first IFSC World Cup this weekend, and YiLing Song continued to race well in front of her home crowd.

The complete results, highlights, replays and photos can be found on the Tai'an event page.

Following the technical meeting, the revised timetable for IFSC World Cup Tai'an has been confirmed.

Please take note of the new schedule here, and other information can be found on the Tai'an event page.

The Bouldering and Speed climbing seasons continued this weekend in Chongqing, the first stop on the 2018 China Tour. In the end, Indonesia, Japan and Russia all brought home three IFSC World Cup medals.

Under the early evening sun above the specially-designed Huayang Climbing Park in Chongqing, elite Bouldering athletes took to the stage for the final on Sunday. Akiyo Noguchi and Miho Nonaka of Japan started strong in the women’s final, hanging upside down to exit the roof beginning W1 and keeping it together for the sole tops. Stasa Gejo (SRB) was first to solve the W2 slab, executing precise footwork and a skip to score the zone point and leaping to the top hold with 20 seconds remaining. Noguchi followed suit on W2 and took a substantial lead by completing an exhausting 2-minute flash of an uncomfortable W3. When Nonaka topped in one attempt too many, Noguchi secured her first IFSC World Cup win since her last victory in Chongqing in 2015. Already first and second, Noguchi and Nonaka closed the round with pure power on W4 and two crowd-pleasing tops, improving their positioning in the season Bouldering rankings after three events. Gejo, European Bouldering champion and The World Games winner last year, reached her first IFSC World Cup podium by scoring three zone points.

After every male finalist flashed M1 and could not complete the opening dyno of M3 to score the zone point, the medal decisions came down to the second and fourth problems. Kokoro Fujii finished wrestling the volumes of M2 with 5 seconds remaining, and Sean McColl (CAN) and Jakob Schubert (AUT) flashed the problem. On the very physical last problem, Fujii secured first place in Chongqing and the third medal for Japan with a double-dyno finish. McColl placed second for his first medal of the 2018 season with a strong attempt on M4 to score the zone point. Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS) bumped Schubert off the podium with an exciting last move, winning bronze on zone points.

The Speed finals concluded the weekend of climbing in Chongqing. 2017 stars and Moscow standouts Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI), Vladislav Deulin (RUS), Anouck Jaubert (FRA) and Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) were all defeated before the semi-finals. In the women’s medal races, Aries Susanti Rahayu of Indonesia matched Elena Timofeeva (RUS) step-for-step in the big final and took the lead to win her first IFSC World Cup. In the small final, Indonesian teammate Puji Lestari secured her first IFSC World Cup podium after a fall from world champion Anna Tsyganova (RUS) in the small final.

In the men’s Speed final, JinXin Li advanced past both Alipourshenazandifar and Deulin in front of his home crowd and finished just shy of the podium. Speed legend Danyil Boldyrev (UKR) took the victory over Li in the small final by just over one tenth of a second, scoring one of the fastest times of the day at 5.73 seconds. After winning gold in Chongqing in 2016, Dmitrii Timofeev of Russia returned to the top of the podium by performing flawlessly in the final race. Aspar Jaelolo placed second and added a third medal for Indonesia as well.

Among Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes, YiLing Song climbed in Chongqing finals in front of her home crowd and finished in 13th place at her first IFSC Speed World Cup of the season. In Bouldering, Mao Nakamura of Japan advanced to her 2nd semi-final in three events, finishing in 20th place.

The complete results, highlights, replays and photos can be found on the Chongqing event page.

Due to qualifications running longer than expected, the Speed finals for IFSC World Cup Chongqing have been delayed and rescheduled for 20:00 GMT+8 May 6^th, following the Bouldering finals.

The 2018 IFSC World Cup series continues this month with the first stage of the China Tour taking place in Chongqing on May 5th-6th and in Tai’an on May 12th-13th, hosting its first IFSC World Cup event. Faster and stronger, elite Bouldering and Speed climbing athletes vie for positioning in the season rankings.

Miho Nonaka (JPN) just missed the season Bouldering podium last year but has started strong in 2018, placing 1st and 2nd at the first two events in Meiringen and Moscow and completing every problem in Bouldering finals. With 2017 China winners Janja Garnbret (SLO) and Shauna Coxsey (GBR) off the start list, Nonaka can take a sizable lead in the season rankings this month. Japan teammate  Akiyo Noguchi has yet to miss a podium in 2018 and ranks among the top athletes. Fanny Gibert (FRA) competed alongside them in both finals and will aim to win her first IFSC World Cup.

For the men, Jernej Kruder (SLO) and Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) made the podiums last year in China and return after trading first and second place in Meiringen and Moscow. Jongwon Chon, 2017 Chongqing winner and Bouldering season champion, is off the start list for Chongqing but is set to compete in Tai’an. Also be sure to follow the climbing of  Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS), who has not missed a Bouldering final in 2018.

In Speed, Anouck Jaubert (FRA) returns to China after clinching the season title in Xiamen in October. Iuliia Kaplina (RUS) twice set the women’s Speed world record (7.32 seconds) during the first stage of the China Tour in 2017 and has not lost in Chongqing since 2015, but Jaubert matched her mark during the final run of Moscow finals and could lower the record this weekend. Also quick in Moscow was Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA), who scaled the 15-meter Speed wall in 7.39 seconds during her quarterfinal race in Moscow, as well as bronze medallist Elena Timofeeva of Russia.

Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI), The World Games Athlete of the Year who set the men’s Speed world record in Nanjing in 2017, began the 2018 season by recording four times under 6 seconds and winning a gold medal in Moscow. Not far behind him in the big final was Speed season champion Vladislav Deulin (RUS), who claimed two victories in China last year. From Indonesia, Veddriq Leonardo and Hinayah Muhammad faced-off in the small final in Moscow and will compete again in Chongqing. Also follow the climbing of their compatriot Aspar Jaelolo, who stopped the clock before 6 seconds in Moscow qualifications. The full list of starting athletes, schedules, 2017 replays and photos can be found on the Chongqing and Tai'an event pages on the IFSC website.

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes DiChong Huang, YuFei Pan and YiLing Song of China will compete in front of their home crowds in Chongqing and Tai’an. Keita Dohi and teammate Mao Nakamura (JPN), who placed 15th in Meiringen, will join them on the Bouldering and Speed walls in China. Also keep an eye on Sarah Tetzlaff of New Zealand, competing in her first IFSC World Cup on Saturday.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on May 6th and 13th to watch the live streaming of semi-final and final rounds, and join the chat on Twitter during the show at #IFSCwc.

Following the technical meeting, the timetable for IFSC World Cup Chongqing has been amended.

Please visit the event page for the updated info sheet or at the following link.

Josh Levin visited International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters last month in Lausanne, Switzerland, an integral part of his role as Athlete Role Model (ARM) for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

During the visit, Levin gave a short presentation about his competition experiences to provide insight into how passion for Sport Climbing could be shared with the broader Olympic community. A tour of the IOC offices followed, as well as a stop at the famous Olympic Museum to learn more about the history of the Olympic Movement.

Afterward, Levin had the surprise pleasure of having a brief chat with IOC President Thomas Bach. During the conversation, they discussed the future of the Olympics and what athletes can do to create positive change in the world.

"Visiting the IOC was an absolutely incredible experience and I am truly grateful to represent Sport Climbing on the Olympic stage," says Levin. "Moving forward, I hope to share these experiences with the next generation of athletes and to pass on the Olympic Values of excellence, friendship, and respect."

In November, the IOC announced the first 25 ARMs for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, and Sport Climbing stars Charlotte Durif and Levin were among the athletes selected to serve as role models. In Buenos Aires, the ARMs will be on-site for at least five days and will play a key role in supporting and mentoring the 3,998 young athletes participating in the Games, to share their experiences and inspire athletes to be the best they can be, both on and off the field of play.

From April 15^th-20^th, the 16^th edition of SportAccord took place in Bangkok, Thailand. The convention is the world’s premier and most exclusive annual event at the service of sport. It is focused on driving positive change internationally and dedicated to engaging and connecting; rights holders, organising committees, cities, press and media, businesses and other organisations involved in the development of sport.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris and IFSC Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer attended the event this year, participating in the General Assemblies of the International World Games Association (IWGA) the Association of Recognised International Sport Federations (ARISF), the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Global Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF), as well as meetings with the IOC, WADA and other leading actors in sport.

The World Olympians Association (WOA) launched the largest ever global study analysing the long-term health of Olympians, an initiative unveiled by WOA President Joël Bouzou at SportAccord. The study targets +10,000 Olympians and aims to improve their post-career life by identifying risk factors associated with elite-level sport. Olympians who have finished competing at an Olympic level may register here to receive the link to complete the 25-minute online survey.

President Scolaris also took the occasion to meet with the Sport Climbing Association of Thailand, discussing the development of the sport in Thailand at the grassroots and international levels with its President, Somboon Uthaiwiankul, and Vice-Secretary General, Sarun Lorhpipat.

Following the general assembly of the IWGA, the Sports Programme of The World Games 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama, was announced at SportAccord. 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports when The World Games return to the United States for the first time since 1981. Sport Climbing competitions will take place at the event for the fourth consecutive edition, and already the city of Birmingham is alive with the climbing spirit. Artist Marcus Fetch painted a mural downtown featuring a Sport Climbing athlete, hoping to get citizens talking about The World Games 2021. Watch the time-lapse below to see the magic unfold.

In January, The World Games 2017 - Wroclaw Speed climbing winner Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) was voted Athlete of the Year 2017, rising to the top of the public vote in the very last moments. Unable to attend SportAccord 2018, President Scolaris received the award on his behalf during the convention. The full replays of Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing finals in Wroclaw can be found on the event page.

"It's hard to imagine another presentation of Sport Climbing at The World Games quite like the 2017 event in Wroclaw, but already 2018 is off to a fantastic start. The appeal of Sport Climbing is true around the world, from Bangkok to Birmingham, and we returned from SportAccord with many insights into the wider movement shaping the future of our sport," says President Scolaris.

Stay tuned to the IFSC website for more information about The World Games in Birmingham, and visit The Daily for full summaries of the SportAccord convention.

Anouck Jaubert tied the women’s Speed climbing world record on her last run and Japan, Russia and Slovenia placed 3 athletes on the podium at the second Bouldering and first Speed event of 2018.

6 months after the final IFSC Speed World Cup in Xiamen, China, the fastest Speed climbing athletes in the world went head-to-head again this weekend in Moscow. Indonesia and Russia excelled in Speed qualifications, sending no less than 20 athletes to finals altogether. 2017 season champion Anouck Jaubert of France faced-off in the gold medal race against long-time rival Iuliia Kaplina (RUS), competing in front of her home crowd. A false start handed Jaubert the victory, and she maintained composure during the final run to tie the women’s Speed climbing world record (7.32 seconds) set by Kaplina last year at The World Games in Wroclaw. Elena Timofeeva (RUS) won her first IFSC World Cup medal, profiting in the small final on a slip from Aries Susanti Rahayu (INA), who clocked a fast time of 7.39 seconds in the quarterfinal.

In the men’s Speed final, 2017 season runner-up Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) continued to race quickly in the 2018 season opener, approaching his world record (5.48 seconds) and scoring only one time above 6 seconds. He won gold in the big final over 2017 season champion Vladislav Deulin, who made it 3 medals for Russia in Moscow. Veddriq Leonardo (INA) bested teammate Hinayah Muhammad on a false start to win a bronze medal on Sunday at his first IFSC World Cup.

Japan and Slovenia dominated in Bouldering finals on Sunday evening, claiming all the medals in the grand finale in Moscow. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN), 2nd at the first IFSC Bouldering World Cup of 2018 in Meiringen, was the only male finalist to top all four problems, including a flash of a powerful second set. The reigning Combined season champion and Bouldering world champion last won gold in the IFSC World Cup series in 2016 (Munich). Meiringen winner Jernej Kruder (SLO) was the first athlete to complete a top in finals, solving the barn-door swing of the opening problem and flashing the last two problems. Kruder’s Slovenian teammate, Gregor Vezonik, flashed the challenging steep final set for his first IFSC World Cup medal. Russia’s Aleksei Rubtsov also climbed well in Moscow, smoothly completing the jump on the third problem for 5th place.

Janja Garnbret (SLO), Petra Klingler (SUI) and Miho Nonaka (JPN) led the way on the first three problems: the lines of crimps on the opening slab, the multi-move dyno of the second problem and the physical third sequence. The last problem featured a showdown between Nonaka, winner in Meiringen, and Garnbret, the 2017 Combined season champion. Nonaka made the opening leap and successfully wrestled up the next volumes on her first attempt, requiring a flash from Garnbret to tie in finals and force a countback to her leading semi-final score. With fans in Moscow and around the world watching, Garnbret maintained her composure and completed the top on her first attempt for the victory. Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) also quickly solved the fourth problem to bump Klingler off the podium by top attempts.

Aleksandra Kalucka of Poland registered an impressive time of 7.91 seconds in Speed qualifications, the first glimpse of Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 qualified athletes in the discipline this year. Elena Krasovskaia of Russia also climbed strong, topping 3 problems in Bouldering qualifications on Saturday.

The complete results, highlights, replays and photos can be found on the Moscow event page.

Following the technical meeting, the timetable for IFSC World Cup Moscow has been amended.

Please visit the event page for the updated info sheet or at the following link.

After celebrating 70 years of Sport Climbing events last year, Moscow welcomes the best Bouldering and Speed athletes next weekend to Russia, where the earliest Speed climbing competitions were organised.

The first climbing competitions were organised in the former USSR in the late 1940s. These events focused on Speed climbing and were mostly dedicated to Soviet climbers until the 1980s. The first Climbing World Cup in Moscow took place in 1994, with the most recent edition occurring in 2010. Russian athletes have continued to excel on the world stage, in Bouldering and especially Speed. Since the inception of the IFSC in 2007, Russia has topped the national team ranking every year. Iuliia Kaplina currently holds the women's world record (7.32 seconds), and Vladislav Deulin secured the season title in the final races last year. Anna Tsyganova is the reigning world champion and the women’s Combined winner of the 70^th Anniversary event, and Speed legends Stanislav Kokorin and Mariia Krasavina have both won multiple season titles.

Star Speed athletes from around the world will challenge the Russian team in Moscow on Sunday. Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI) set the men’s world record last season (5.48 seconds), and Anouck Jaubert (FRA) returns after winning the season title last year. Also keep an eye on Indonesia’s Aspar Jaelolo and Aries Susanti Rahayu, who climbed fast at the final IFSC Speed World Cups of 2017 in Wujiang and Xiamen.

Moscow also hosts the second stage of the Bouldering season on Saturday and Sunday. The Japanese team, first in the national team Bouldering ranking last year, continued to perform well in Meiringen. Miho Nonaka won gold in the 2018 debut, and her teammates Tomoa Narasaki and Akiyo Noguchi joined her on the podium. Slovenia also excelled in the Bouldering opener, with Jernej Kruder winning his first IFSC World Cup and Combined season champion Janja Garnbret beginning the season with a silver medal. In the spotlight in Moscow will be Aleksei Rubtsov. The men’s Combined winner of the 70th Anniversary event finished 3rd in the Bouldering season the past two years and already won a bronze medal in Meiringen. For the full list of starting athletes and photos of the 70th Anniversary event last year, visit the official Moscow event page on the IFSC website.

12 qualified athletes for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 will compete at IFSC World Cup Moscow, including youth Speed world champion (Youth A) Aleksandra Kalucka (POL) and youth Bouldering world champion (Youth A) Filip Schenk (ITA). Three athletes from China will join them, Asian youth Combined champion YuFei Pan among them. From Russia, Luiza Emeleva and Elena Krasovskaia will climb in both disciplines in front of their home crowd. Also keep an eye on Mao Nakamura (JPN), who climbed in Meiringen semi-finals last weekend. Sandra Lettner (AUT), 4th in Meiringen, is not on the start list.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on April 22nd to watch the live streaming of the semi-final and final rounds, and join the chat on Twitter during the live show at #IFSCwc.

For the 5th International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), the international community, motivated by Peace and Sport, organised more than 750 events registered on www.april6.org. Numerous international sports federations, athletes, Champions for Peace, institutions, schools, and associations got into action in the four corners of the world to celebrate this day and convey the message of peace through sport.

Since 2014, the IFSC has worked alongside its Honorary Member Paola Gigliotti to activate the Climbing Life page on Facebook, sharing links between nations and universities around the world emphasising the educational value of sport and the importance of sharing cultural and scientific experiences for peace. On April 6, a conference demonstrating this idea took place this year at the Perugia Medicine and Sport University.

"Four years after the start of Climbing Life, we reached an important goal. Of course we didn’t stop wars or poverty, but we successfully demonstrated that sport and science can speak the same language of peace, all around the globe," says Paola Gigliotti.

The 2018 online #WhiteCard campaign reached new heights for April6, with more than 90 million people reached on social media. In March, IFSC President Marco Scolaris, Vice-President Kobinata Toru, officials and staff displayed their white cards at the 2018 IFSC Officials Seminar near IFSC headquarters in Torino.

"Often behind-the-scenes, our officials are critical to every single IFSC event, and they came to the front of the stage to support peace and sport at our annual Seminar," says Kobinata Toru.

The IFSC also coordinated with the FISE organising team to participate in the White Card campaign at the FISE World Series in Hiroshima. Despite heavy rain during Bouldering qualifications on this day, participation in the IDSDP continued and Peace and Sport Ambassador Charmaine Crooks gave a speech at the event. The IFSC encouraged National Federations, athletes and fans of the Sport Climbing community to get involved as well by organising an April 6 project or raising a #WhiteCard for peace.

“By hosting FISE, an event that attracts worldwide attention mainly among the youth, in our International Peace Culture City, we believe that we can take the opportunity to connect with the youth around the world who will lead the next generation, and deliver the message of the value of peace," reads the FISE press release for April 6.

On December 6-8, the 10^th annual Peace and Sport International Forum took place in Monaco. Since 2009, Honorary Member Paola Gigliotti has attended the forum and actively participated in the workshops, which have united more than 600 major decision-makers from over 110 countries. Last year's edition discussed the latest social innovations that can be combined with sport to tackle today’s most pressing societal problems and the global challenges of the future.

"The IFSC has shown that we can play a big role - through our social and educational programs and by embodying our core values - in promoting peace across the world through Sport Climbing, despite our limited resources. This is hard work that must be done," says IFSC President Marco Scolaris.

For more information on the 2018 IDSDP, please visit the complete news on the Peace and Sport website.

The IFSC is looking for a skilled Administrative Assistant with bookkeeping competencies to support the Administration Department in the daily tasks.

The employee in this position will report to the Administration Director and will work closely with the other Departments. The full-time position is based at the headquarters of IFSC in Torino, Italy. Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with “IFSC Administrative Assistant Application” in the subject line by April 30th, 2018.

For the full job description, please click here.

Japan claimed three medals and Slovenia placed two athletes on the podium at the first IFSC Bouldering World Cup of the 2018 season in Meiringen, won by Miho Nonaka (JPN) and Jernej Kruder (SLO).

Dynamic moves and creative problems created an exciting final round in Meiringen, hosting its 3rd IFSC World Cup event. The Bouldering stars and rising stars did not disappoint, giving the crowd in Switzerland and viewers everywhere thrilling moments until the end.

After standing on his first IFSC World Cup podium last year in Nanjing, Jernej Kruder rose to the top this weekend. First to climb in the men’s final, three times Kruder energised the audience by leaping for holds: the jump to the finish after controlling a challenging ladder of holds on the first problem; the quadruple dyno starting the second problem; and an unexpected drop to score the zone point on the third problem. 2017 Combined season champion Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) and Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS) topped two problems and scored four zone points to place 2nd and 3rd by attempts, and Jakob Schubert (AUT) closed out the round with the only top of a powerful fourth problem on his first attempt. Tomoaki Takata (JPN) climbed in his first IFSC World Cup final today and finished in 5th place.

4 female finalists began their podium quest in Meiringen with a flash of the first problem, solving advanced footwork and a sleek switch from heel to toe to continue upward after scoring the zone point. 2017 Combined season champion Janja Garnbret (SLO), Akiyo Noguchi (JPN) and Miho Nonaka followed with flashes of a dynamic second problem, but only Nonaka continued the perfection on the subsequent slab, completing a gruelling shoulder move on her first attempt. She carried the momentum into the fourth problem, solving a double-dyno into a palm press on the way to her fourth top and first gold medal since 2016. Garnbret made her 23rd podium in 27 events by finishing with a flash, and Noguchi rounded out the podium with four tops as well, requiring more attempts to do so.

10 athletes competing at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 competed in Meiringen this weekend. Sandra Lettner of Austria became the first qualified athlete to reach finals at an IFSC World Cup event in 2018, the first of her career. She climbed well all day, sticking the double-dyno rollover on the last problem in finals for 4th place. Mao Nakamura of Japan and Giorgia Tesio of Italy also performed well, qualifying for semi-finals on Friday.

The complete results, full replays and photos can be found on the Meiringen event page.

The National Technical Official Training Programme of the upcoming Youth Olympic Games took place from Thursday to Saturday in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires 2018 has set into motion and reinforced a series of initiatives to professionalise the sports administration structure, including training for technical officials and judges. The initiatives aim to support the delivery of the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, as well as to build the legacy of the ^3rd Youth Olympic Games by positively impacting sport management capabilities worldwide.

On April 5-7, IFSC jury president Stanley Yeo and IFSC international routesetter Matthias Woitzuck participated in the programme, teaching as experienced instructors and leading hands-on workshops for Sport Climbing.

The Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 has a slogan!

"Feel the Future" highlights the hope that the 3,998 athletes competing in the first Games with strict gender equality will become examples of passion, coexistence and unity in diversity, as well as a source of inspiration to create a better world through sport.

The slogan is part of a larger manifesto:

Feel the future.
The energy of youth to create a better world.
With sport as its channel.
Friendship, respect, and excellence as the common language.
The South celebrates diversity.
Gender equality and equal opportunities.
Bridges instead of barriers.
Passion that inspires.
The transformative power of youth.
Buenos Aires 2018.

FEEL THE FUTURE.

For more information, please visit the complete news at Olympic.org and BuenosAires2018.com.

In 2019, Sport Climbing will make its debut at the World Schools Championship of the International School Sport Federation (ISF).

IFSC President Marco Scolaris and ISF President Laurent Petrynka met in Lausanne last week to sign the agreement officially recognising Sport Climbing as a sport of the International School Sport Federation.

The ISF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and promotes the values and interests of education through sport. ISF events aim to promote mutual understanding, volunteering empowerment, peace, non-discrimination, healthy lifestyle, social inclusion, and gender equality among young people.

ISF made a presentation at the 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly in Innsbruck.

12 World Schools Championship events take place every year, with 10,000 participants competing for up to a week. The first World Schools Championship for Sport Climbing will take place in Aubenas, France, on May 18-24, 2019. Athletes will be representing the school at which they are studying and national champions will come together from all around the world for a high-level competition, enriching lifetime experience and multicultural exchange.

“Joining ISF is a natural progression for Sport Climbing, and the 2019 World Schools Championship will be a unique opportunity for talented Sport Climbing athletes to compete, learn and continue to grow into leaders of their communities," says President Scolaris.

Media representatives wishing to cover the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 are required to complete the accreditation application by May 24, 2018.

The Summer Youth Olympic Games are an elite multi-sport international event for the world’s best young athletes between the ages of 15 to 18. Buenos Aires 2018 will mark the first time that an Olympic event has had an equal number of women and men athletes. There will be 1,999 women and 1,999 men competing in the 32 sports between 6 to 18 October.

The operations for the media are on a different scale than those found at the Olympic Games, and will offer a more interactive atmosphere for media representatives and athletes, with the focus on creating an easy and fun reporting environment in the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games.

For more information, please visit the complete news at Olympic.org and BuenosAires2018.com.

Bouldering stars and rising stars from all around the world compete in 7 days at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Meiringen, Switzerland, the start of an exciting IFSC season which also features the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and IFSC Climbing & Paraclimbing World Championships in Innsbruck.

Since 2016, Meiringen marks the opening of the IFSC Climbing World Cup season. Nestled in the Swiss Alps, the mountain village welcomes a new strong field of about 250 elite Bouldering athletes on April 13th-14th.

Shauna Coxsey (GBR) has yet to lose in Meiringen, but as in 2017 the reigning Bouldering season champion will have to overcome a recent injury (finger) to continue her streak of victories with Meiringen runner-up Katharina Saurwein (AUT) back on the start list. Jongwon Chon (KOR) missed the finals cut last year, but the men’s Bouldering season champion and Meiringen runner-up Aleksei Rubtsov (RUS) are top candidates to medal. After dominating the Bouldering team rankings in 2017, Japan returns with a full lineup of podium contenders: Meiringen winner Kokoro Fujii, Combined season champion Tomoa Narasaki, Akiyo Noguchi, Miho Nonaka and youth Bouldering world champion (Youth B) Futaba Ito. Expectations are also high for the United Sates, sending youth Combined world champion (Juniors) Claire Buhrfeind and more strong contenders. From Switzerland, world champion Petra Klingler fell just short of the podium in Meiringen last year, but she will again be in the spotlight in front of her home crowd. Also keep an eye on Alexander Megos (GER), runner-up at the European Bouldering Championship in Munich.

10 rising stars competing at the Youth Olympic Games in October will test their progress in Meiringen. Youth Combined world champion (Youth A) Sandra Lettner (AUT) will climb in her first IFSC World Cup, alongside Argentina native Valentina Aguado, Combined world champion Elena Krasovskaia (RUS), Keita Dohi and Mao Nakamura of Japan, Petar Ivanov (BUL), Vita Lukan (SLO), Hannah Meul (GER) and Filip Schenk and Giorgia Tesio of Italy.

Tune-in to the IFSC homepage on April 14th for the semi-finals and finals live streaming to see how all the stars and rising stars perform. The schedule, results, starters, 2017 replays and photos can all be found on the official Meiringen event page.

On Tuesday, IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru met with delegates of the Japanese Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association in Hachioji, Japan.

The meeting focused on preparations for the IFSC Climbing & Paraclimbing World Championships in 2019, the signature event of the IFSC calendar. The IFSC Plenary Assembly approved as event host the candidature of Hachioji, the largest city in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area which hosted its first IFSC World Cup event in 2017.

Takayuki Ishimori, Mayor of Hachioji, attended the meeting and showed great interest in IFSC World Championships Hachioji 2019 and the second edition of IFSC World Cup Hachioji in June 2018.

“After very positive results last year, we are confident in continued success for Sport Climbing in Hachioji thanks to the support of the JMSCA and the City of Hachioji," says Vice-President Toru.

Electoral processes, gender-neutral portrayal and meaningful inclusion in decision-making roles were at the heart of the 3rd International Federation (IF) Gender Equality in Leadership Forum which took place on March 28 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The themes are key elements of the recently launched Gender Equality Review Project Recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, the full report of which can be found here.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris and IFSC Sport Officer Silvia Verdolini participated at the forum, and altogether more than 30 International Federation representatives attended the event to discuss the recommendations, share best practices to adapt to their own organisations, and seek new solutions to improve gender equality in sports leadership.

“We acknowledge and actively work against gender disparities in the IFSC, where 40 percent of athlete licenses are distributed to female athletes and male and female athletes are awarded equally since the first international competition,” says President Scolaris. “Although there is still a long way to go, I have to say that Sport Climbing has started already decades ago with the right foot: both genders have always been felt (and therefore considered) equal. Moreover, one of the beautiful things about Sport Climbing competitions is that they give everyone the best chance to express themselves, to show parallel levels of excellence across disciplines. We are proud of the record-setting success of Janja Garnbret at IFSC events, as well as the ground-breaking outdoor ascents of former world champion Angela Eiter and youth world champion Margo Hayes and the organising of events like the Women’s Climbing Symposium by season champion Shauna Coxsey. We hope our organisation consistently serves alongside them and all leaders of the Sport Climbing community to make sure our climbs are always towards gender equality.”

For more information on the forum, visit the complete news at Olympic.org.

The IFSC wishes to mandate leading marketing agencies exemplifying core IFSC values for the procurement and negotiation of partnership agreements throughout Europe and North America for the further development of Sport Climbing.

Since 2017, the IFSC has been working with Hakuhodo DY Group, the 2nd largest marketing agency in Japan and 11th largest in the world. Through this collaboration, the IFSC signed a partnership in 2018 with Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., the flag carrier airline of Japan.

More information can be found in the official press release, and if interested please contact IFSC Marketing and Communications Director Anne Fuynel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by April 6, 2018.

IFSC technical delegates, jury presidents, judges, routesetters and the webcasting crew convened in Torino last weekend with IFSC President Marco Scolaris, Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and staff for the 2018 IFSC Officials Seminar.

Every year, IFSC officials come together to review the previous season and discuss changes for the current one during a complete two-day seminar near IFSC headquarters. Meetings continued this year, with more than 50 officials coming from all around the world for the seminar.

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) takes place on April 6, and everyone attending the seminar showed their support by joining the White Card campaign of Peace and Sport. Further participation of the climbing community can be found on the Climbing Life facebook page.

On Saturday morning, Marco Scolaris and Kobinata Toru welcomed the officials to Torino and outlined the direction of the Sport Department for 2018, in addition to explaining updates to the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 from a sport perspective.

IFSC Sport Officer Silvia Verdolini and IFSC Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato outlined developments to Sport Department activities, followed by an interactive workshop where all participants shared challenges and strengths of events on the 2018 calendar, and technical delegates summarised the tasks for everyone attending to improve the collaboration and team work of officials. In the afternoon, judges, jury presidents and routesetters debriefed on the previous season and discussed rule changes in preparing for the season upcoming.

On Sunday, Kobinata Toru presented on long term goals, leading up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and beyond, and shared with officials the importance of sport presentation. Additional discussions took place on the career path for routesetters and judges, and jury presidents and judges also took time to dive into rules for Combined events.

"Often behind-the-scenes, our officials are critical to every single IFSC event," says Kobinata Toru. "Discussing and dining all together last weekend provided the important opportunity to expand our understanding of the technical needs at IFSC events and the best way to communicate the excitement of our sport on-site and online."

The 2018 IFSC World Cup season begins in Meiringen next month, and the live streaming of bouldering semi-finals and finals will take place on April 14 at ifsc-climbing.org.

In August and September, the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic flame will travel throughout Argentina, taking the Olympic spirit to every corner of the country.

The flame will be lit in a ceremony in Greece to mark the start of the torch relay for the third summer edition of the Youth Olympic Games, now only 200 days away. During its journey, the flame will travel in five Argentine regions while lighting up the whole planet. Altogether, the flame will cover more than 10,000 kilometres and 16 cities, in addition to iconic Argentine geography.

More information can be found in the full news on the Buenos Aires 2018 website and Facebook video below.

The upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, the creation of the Ethics Commission and the addition of new Member Federations from Asia centred the 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly in Innsbruck.

Hosted by Austria Climbing, the 13th annual IFSC Plenary Assembly on March 15-17 gathered about 100 delegates from 51 National Federations to prepare for the beginning of a new chapter for Sport Climbing.

Sport Climbing will feature as a medal sport in an Olympic context for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games, just 200 days away on Tuesday. 40 athletes between the ages of 16-17 will climb in Buenos Aires, following their performances at IFSC Youth World Championships Innsbruck and other qualification events in 2017. Ongoing developments for the athletes, officials and venue were presented on Saturday, alongside updates for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the talented young athletes representing our sport in Buenos Aires, the first Olympians of Sport Climbing, and we will continue working with the IOC to make it the best Youth Olympic Games possible,” says IFSC President Marco Scolaris.

After the publication of the Ethics Charter for the Community, the Ethics Commission was officially established on Saturday to guide its implementation. Marc Le Menestrel was appointed as chairman, and additional members will be added throughout the year.

The IFSC Plenary Assembly also confirmed the interest of the IFSC Executive Board to continue supporting the missions of the Paraclimbing Commission and strengthen Paraclimbing activities in 2018 and beyond.

Right to left: IFSC President Marco Scolaris speaks with Eugen Burtscher, President of Austria Climbing, and Christoph Kaufmann, Mayor of Innsbruck, during the main proceedings of the IFSC Plenary Assembly. © KVÖ.

Two National Federations were voted new Members of the IFSC on Saturday: the Cambodia Climbing Federation (CCF) and the National Association for Climbing and Mountaineering in Sri Lanka (NACMSL). 23 Federations including Continental Members are now represented on the continent of Asia, the most ever.

“As our sport expands in Asia leading up to Tokyo 2020, we are pleased to welcome the National Federations of Cambodia and Sri Lanka to the IFSC family,” says IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru.

In the evening, the 13th annual IFSC Plenary Assembly concluded with a gala dinner for all the delegates at the Bergisel Sky in Innsbruck. Photos of all the gatherings can be found in the IFSC Flickr gallery, and the next IFSC Plenary Assembly in 2019 will take place in Tokyo.

Press Release

Day 2 Recap

Day 1 Recap

A press conference on the Olympic Games, IFSC World Championships and more opened the second day of the 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly, the start of general proceedings.

Michael Schöpf, Sport Manager of Austria Climbing and CEO of the IFSC World Championships taking place in Innsbruck on September 6-16, began the press conference by chronicling the journey of Sport Climbing in Innsbruck, which most recently hosted the IFSC Youth World Championships in 2017. Star Sport Climbing athlete Katharina Saurwein, Head Coach of the Austrian Paraclimbing Team, noted the growth of Paraclimbing in Austria as well, which will send Paraclimbing athletes to the IFSC World Championships for the first time this year.

Kobinata Toru, IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events, and Jérôme Meyer, Head of Olympic Coordination, followed with presentations on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A number of ongoing preparations will be discussed at the IFSC Plenary Assembly tomorrow, including the Qualification System for Tokyo 2020. Before welcoming questions from the local and international media attending, IFSC President Marco Scolaris summarised the upcoming opportunities for Sport Climbing in 2018 embodying IFSC and Olympic values. All the highlights from the press conference can be watched in the video below.

"The Youth Olympic Games is an event where the goal is to give all the athlete participants a larger experience than just competing. The motto is 'compete, learn and share,'" said Jérôme Meyer. "Preparations are well underway, and we are excited to deliver the best experience of Sport Climbing in Buenos Aires in October."

Amidst continental meetings in the afternoon, IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych and IFSC Consultant Leslie Baxter concluded the series of workshops by leading discussions on strategic planning for National Federations. The basic principles and benefits of the process were defined, as well as the universal mission to support the growth and development of Sport Climbing alongside stakeholders as a global and accessible activity: from competitive to recreational, indoors and outdoors. Three panelists from National Federations then shared their own experiences determining and executing strategies: Burgi Beste, Vice-President of Deutscher Alpenverein; Yuji Hirayama, Vice-President of the Japan Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association; and Kynan Waggoner, CEO of USA Climbing.

In the evening, general proceedings of the IFSC Plenary Assembly began at the Austria Trend Hotel Congress in Innsbruck, with reports from the IFSC on Paraclimbing activities, media, marketing and communication outputs in 2017 and approaches for 2018, and additional updates on governance.

Stay tuned for a recap of the main proceedings of the 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly on Saturday.

Day 1 Recap

IFSC Plenary Assembly workshops began today in Innsbruck, during which National Federations learned and shared best practices surrounding the organisation of international Sport Climbing events.

Workshops for Members of the IFSC were first provided at the annual IFSC Plenary Assembly in 2017 in Quebec City. Following the success of the interactive gatherings, the concept was continued this year at the Austria Trend Hotel Congress in Innsbruck with a new cast of experienced speakers and fresh topics.

The first workshop in the morning covered working with sponsorship agencies to improve the value of Sport Climbing and generate revenues. Keiichi Nakano from the Sports Division of Hakuhodo DY media partners and Daisuka Niwa, Deputy General Manager of the Sports Division, presented on the strategic goals of sponsorships for emerging sports. Preserving the integrity of a sport while raising its profile was identified as the main goal, building real partnerships which support all the intertwining areas of a sport to do so. Differentiation of sponsorship packages for events was also emphasized, to create clear and fair relationships with partners.

Michael Schöpf, Sport Manager of Austria Climbing and CEO of IFSC World Championships Innsbruck 2018, continued the exchange of ideas alongside Ben Lepesant, Head of Media & Communications at Austria Climbing and Innsbruck 2018, focusing on the practical aspects of attracting and sustaining relationships with sponsors from an event organiser perspective.

Ben Lepesant presenting at an IFSC Plenary Assembly workshop.

In the afternoon, National Federations engaged in a round table discussion during the second workshop on long-term planning and effective business models for hosting international events. Michael Schöpf and IFSC Event Officer Alessandro di Cato offered key insight, ranging from establishing an exciting sport atmosphere for the right audience to encouraging participation of political institutions and overcoming financial barriers with limited resources. The significant economic impact of athletes, officials, representatives, press and fans on the local economy was identified, and participating representatives of National Federations spoke from their unique experiences about the challenges of integrating sport, political and economic visions.

"The workshop this afternoon was a great opportunity to share experiences and give insight to other National Federations and event organisers about organising an IFSC World Cup and the IFSC World Championships,” said Michael Schöpf in the afternoon session. "Looking forward into the future, this is surely a good starting point."

In the evening, the delegates visited the venue of the upcoming IFSC World Championships on September 6-16, stopping by the towering walls of Kletterzentrum Innsbruck where the IFSC Youth World Championships took place last year.

The 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly continues tomorrow with the start of general proceedings, a third workshop, continental meetings and a press conference at 11:00 (GMT+1).

President Marco Scolaris, Vice President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and Head of Olympic Coordination Jérôme Meyer of the IFSC had meetings with Tokyo 2020 and the Japan Mountaineering & Sport Climbing Association on March 7-9. The meetings focused on ongoing preparations for Sport Climbing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A long section was conducted jointly with FIBA representatives, since the IFSC is sharing the venue with Basketball 3x3 in the Aomi Urban Cluster.

The IFSC team visited Tokyo 2020 headquarters, where the "My Dream" Art Exhibition was on display. Paintings of schoolchildren dreaming about the Olympics hung on the walls, some of which imagined competing in the Games as a Sport Climbing athlete and winning an Olympic gold medal.

"It was a warm welcome at the Tokyo 2020 offices, and these paintings are a real source of inspiration for us, just as Sport Climbing is for those young artists," said President Scolaris.

The 2018 IFSC Plenary Assembly will be taking place in Innsbruck on March 16-17, 2018, and the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires are at the top of the agenda.

A press conference on Friday morning precedes the annual gathering of Member Federations, during which the upcoming Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the IFSC Climbing & Paraclimbing World Championships Innsbruck 2018 will be discussed by IFSC President Marco Scolaris, Austria Climbing President Eugen Burtscher and distinguished guests Kobinata Toru, IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events, Jérôme Meyer, Head of Olympic coordination, Michael Schöpf, Sport Manager of Austria Climbing, and Katharina Saurwein, star Sport Climbing athlete and head coach of the Austrian paraclimbing team.

“This year, an exciting new chapter begins for our sport," says President Scolaris. "In Buenos Aires, hard-working young athletes will become the first Sport Climbing Olympians, many of whom competed right here in Innsbruck last year.”

© KVÖ Heiko Wilhelm

A report on the recent Paraclimbing activities and more launches the discussions Friday evening, followed by updates from the IFSC regarding new developments in marketing and communication and the IFSC structure. On Saturday, the meetings continue throughout the day and focus on preparations for the Olympics, membership changes in 2018, activities of the Sport Department and Commissions and more. For the full agenda, please click here.

Additional workshops are planned on the 15th and 16th of March, covering how to work with a sponsorship agency to improve the value of the sport and generate revenues, hosting and organising an international event and strategic planning for National Federations. More details about the workshops are listed here.

Further information about the venue, schedule and logistics can be found in the info sheet.

Entre-Prises, a long-time IFSC partner, will provide the Bouldering, Lead and Speed climbing walls for the sport climbing events at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.

Entre-Prises (EP) is the IFSC Official Climbing Wall Supplier and a world leader in climbing walls. EP designs, manufactures and installs climbing structures and training devices of the highest quality, with more than 30 years of experience in the industry and over 6,000 climbing walls built around the globe. Now, the expertise of EP will be on display for all rounds of the sport climbing action in Buenos Aires.

“It is an honour to provide the climbing walls for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires,” says Eric Surdej, CEO of EP. “We welcome the challenge of providing the structural foundation for sport climbing on this Olympic stage with the finest solutions we can offer. Climbing is a great life experience and we strongly believe that the Olympic Games will contribute to sharing sport climbing values.”

Since its inception, the global and multicultural team at EP has been committed to bringing climbing to everyone. In line with this mission, the climbing walls of EP will continue to be used after the Youth Olympic Games for the development of sport climbing in Argentina and throughout South America. The Federación Argentina de Ski y Andinismo (FASA) and the IFSC will work jointly on establishing a world-class climbing centre for international and local competitions, high-end training of athletes and enjoyment by the surrounding communities to continue the legacy of the Youth Olympic Games beyond 2018.

“The reach of our sport is far, and the work of leaders of the industry like EP continues to play a significant role in expanding that reach,” says IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “We are fortunate to partner with companies sharing our values, which includes increasing the accessibility of sport climbing for all.”

For the full press release, please click here.

On Tuesday, Officers from Japan Sport Council, Hiroshi Sakata and Hiromi Kosaka, met with IFSC President Marco Scolaris at IFSC headquarters in Torino.

The discussion focused on an enquiry of JSC regarding Olympic sports and the five additional sports to be featured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in particular, Sport Climbing history, vision and strategic plan.

The occasion was also an opportunity for the IFSC President to highlight the unique characteristics of Sport Climbing and its community, as well as the passion and effort of the IFSC and IFSC stakeholders in preparing for the Games.

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) yesterday unveiled their official Olympic and Paralympic mascots, following an evaluation of three shortlisted design sets by elementary schoolchildren across Japan and at Japanese schools overseas.

205,755 classes at 16,769 schools took part in the election, and the results were announced in front of around 600 children at Hoyonomori Gakuen School in Tokyo. The creator of the winning mascots is Ryo Taniguchi, a character designer/illustrator living in southern Japan who graduated from Cabrillo College in California, USA.

The Mascot Selection Panel will now decide names for the winning mascots, which will make their official debut in July or August 2018. For more information, please visit the complete news on the Tokyo 2020 website.

Less than 200 days remain until the IFSC Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championships in Innsbruck, and the first tickets for the event will be available on March 1.

“Climb, come together, celebrate” is the motto of the event, the biannual gathering of the most elite Sport Climbing athletes in the world, and fans will be able to experience the motto in person on September 6-16.

More information can be found in the press release, and to purchase your ticket to the signature IFSC event of the 2018 season please visit the Innsbruck 2018 website.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris will be discussing the upcoming Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 and more at the press conference during the 13th Annual Plenary Assembly in Innsbruck. The press conference will be held on March 16th at Austria Climbing Headquarters.

“This year, an exciting new chapter begins for our sport," says President Scolaris. "In Buenos Aires, hard-working young athletes will become the first Sport Climbing Olympians, many of whom competed right here in Innsbruck last year.”

Please click here for more information about the press conference, and the Plenary Assembly Programme can be found here.

The Winter Olympic Games have been taking place in PyeongChang, and President Marco Scolaris, Secretary General Debra Gawrych, Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru and Administration Director Francesca Jengo of the IFSC all attended the beginning of the Games.

“Peace in Motion” was the promise made by creative director Song Seung-whan, and that is exactly what President Scolaris and the IFSC representatives saw during the Opening Ceremony.

“In PyeongChang, we experienced a warm welcome to the Olympic Family," said President Scolaris. "We met many friends and had the opportunity to discuss the future of the Olympic Movement and the role our sport has to play. It was another step forward, toward the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the future of sport climbing. “Passion Connected” is the PyeongChang tag line, and we at the IFSC know what this means.”

More information on the Winter Olympic Games can be found on the Pyeongchang 2018 website.

A set of 118 reforms called "The New Norm" was presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 132nd Session, which took place on February 6-8 in Pyeongchang.

The plan focuses on six recommendations of the Olympic Agenda 2020 and will provide host cities with increased flexibility and assistance, with the aim of ensuring the Games are affordable, beneficial and sustainable. The measures presented address the challenges associated with the cost of bidding and hosting the Olympic Games. Efficiency and waste reduction are emphasized in the plan, which estimates maximum savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in the delivery of the Games.

"The IFSC supports this fundamental rethinking, and we are already working closely with the IOC, FIBA and Tokyo 2020 to put these ideas into practice by sharing the venue with Basketball 3x3 at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020," says IFSC President Marco Scolaris.

Visit Olympic.org for the full news, and coverage of the Olympic Games Pyeongchang 2018 can be found at OlympicChannel.com.

Due to a notable growth of interest in sport climbing in Japan, IFSC Secretary General Debra Gawrych and IFSC Marketing & Communications Director Anne Fuynel traveled to Japan on Friday to meet with broadcasters, sponsors, TV rights and marketing agencies.

Meetings were held in Tokyo with IFSC rights-holder Synca Creations, Japan Airlines, IFSC new partner, and IFSC marketing agency in Japan, HDY, Hakuhodo. Among the topics discussed was the promotion of sport climbing in 2018.

IFSC Vice-President Sport/Events Kobinata Toru also met with the Secretary General and the Marketing & Communications Director, to work on various topics including sport presentation and Tokyo 2020.

Finally, the Japan Bouldering Cup also took place last weekend in Tokyo, offering the IFSC representatives the opportunity to watch elite sport climbing athletes from Japan, soon to compete in the IFSC World Cups of 2018.

The IFSC is pleased to welcome media to a new season of competition climbing!

The 2018 season starts in just over 8 weeks, and media registration is now open. All media at IFSC events may register via the online media accreditation form. This form contains a simplified Event Media Policy, and new events are on the schedule.

Each media will receive an email confirming the application has been received, and another email granting/denying accreditation. Registration will be closed 1 week before the event for TVs and 2 days for other media.

For any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The IFSC is pleased to announce that Japan Airlines will support the development of sport climbing in 2018 as an IFSC Main Partner.

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., is the flag carrier airline of Japan and the first Japanese airline to venture overseas. For 65 years Japan Airlines has continued to pursue an incredible determination to support dreams and the people who have them. Starting in 2018, Japan Airlines will join the IFSC in supporting the development of sport climbing, set to feature for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires this year and at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

“We are thrilled to have such a committed partner sharing the same vision and passion for aiming higher, especially during a period of substantial growth and new opportunities for sport climbing,” says IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “We are looking forward to flying into the challenges of tomorrow with Japan Airlines.”

As an IFSC Main Partner and a partner of the JMSCA, Japan Airlines will be present throughout the 2018 season during IFSC events and activities. Additionally, Japan Airlines will be strongly represented on IFSC social media as it aims to pass on a better society to the next generation through the airline business. The company’s “Fostering the Next Generation” program provides hands-on educational experiences and social welfare to children, and Japan Airlines also supports young athletes by encouraging JAL Mileage Bank members to donate their miles to under-funded sports projects.

Please click here for the full press release.

The winning entry of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s Medal Design Competition for the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 has been chosen. It was submitted by 18-year-old Muhamad Farid Husen from Indonesia, and is entitled "Fireworks of Victory". Chosen from close to 300 entries from over 50 nations, the winning design was picked by a panel of judges made up of Young Change-Makers, Young Reporters and IOC Members.

Winner Muhamad Farid Husen said of his design: "This medal was inspired by fireworks. Fireworks representing the excitement and the glory of the Youth Olympic Games where all nations come together as one to participate and celebrate. Fireworks fly to the sky, giving the reflection of how the young athletes are reaching their dreams."

More information can be found at Olympic.org and BuenosAires2018.com.

After an incredibly tight race, Reza Alipourshenazandifar was voted Athlete of the Year 2017 yesterday. The Athlete of the Year award is distributed annually by the International World Games Association (IWGA), who selects a candidate from participating IWGA sports and after fans vote daily for their favourite candidate over one month.

This year, three athletes stood out at the halfway mark, when the field was reduced from 21 to 9 athletes: speed skater Fabriana Arias (COL), powerlifter Larysa Soloviova (UKR) and speed climber Reza Alipourshenazandifar (IRI). Reza and Larysa pulled ahead at the end of January, regularly swapping first place. After thousands of votes on the final day and strong support from sport climbing and powerlifting fans alike, Reza regained the lead in the last hour to win the title by 754 votes, receiving 90,790 votes in total. Altogether, a record 260,266 votes were cast.

At IFSC World Cup Nanjing last year, Reza set a new men’s speed world record at 5.48 seconds. Weeks later, he won the first gold medal for Iran at The World Games in Wroclaw. Support for the speed climbing star came from around the world, including from fellow Iranians, Australia and the Philippines.

Reza is the second sport climbing athlete to win the Athlete of the Year award. Adam Ondra (CZE) claimed the prize in 2014 after becoming the Bouldering and Lead world champion.

“Wow, already two Athlete of the Year awards for sport climbing, the most of any sport,” said IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “Congratulations to Reza for this success as w