What is the origin of climbing at the Olympics?
After a demonstration at the Youth Olympics in 2014, climbing was introduced there four years later.
Then crossed the threshold of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in 2021. The discipline is young: its sporting practice only saw the light of day in the 1980s, and its first World Cup dates back to 1989.
To discover
Paris 2024: the map of Olympic sites
Climbing was included in the Olympic sports three years ago along with karate, skateboarding, surfing and baseball/softball.
This marked “a real historic turning point” and demonstrated a desire “to reach out to young people and reflect the current trend towards the urbanization of sport”, as the IOC presented it.
Who are the best athletes and countries in climbing?
France
is a historic climbing nation, second in total medals in world championships (48) behind Russia
(
53
) and ahead of Austria
(
23).
Russia has declined today.
Countries that are escalating include
Ukraine
,
Slovenia
,
Japan
and the
Czech
Republic .
Also beware of the Chinese, who specialize in speed.
In Tokyo, where the three events (boulder, difficulty and speed) were combined into one, the Spaniard
Alberto Ginés Lopez
and the Slovenian
Janja Garnbret
won gold.
Garnbret, 24, is expected in Paris again this year.
Among the women, we will also have to follow the Indonesian
Desak Made
, reigning world champion in speed, the Japanese
Ai Mori
and the French
Oriane Bertone
and
Zélia Allez
.
On the men's side, check off the names of the Latvian
Jakob Schubert
, the Indonesian and speed champion
Veddriq Leonardo
, and especially the Frenchman
Mejdi Schalck
, 19 years old, winner of three bouldering World Cup stages.
What are the rules of climbing?
Sport climbing has three types of events:
speed
,
bouldering
and
difficulty
.
At the Paris Olympics, there will be a speed event on one side, and a combined event combining bouldering and difficulty on the other.
The speed test is simple: it is a time trial in elimination duels.
The wall, which is 15 meters high, is inclined at 5 degrees.
It only takes a handful of seconds for the most gifted to reach the top.
The world record set by Indonesian Veddriq Leonardo is 4.9 seconds.
Spectacular event that requires explosiveness.
For the combined, we first have the “boulder”, where you have to climb a 4.5 meter high wall, without a safety rope (but with mattresses at the bottom), within a given time (4 minutes) and with as few attempts as possible.
Agility required.
Next comes “difficulty,” where it’s about endurance.
We have 6 minutes to climb a 15 meter wall, much more complex than the speed wall because it has 7 meters of slope (see below).
You have to reach the highest possible hold, or even get to the top.
If two athletes arrive at the top, the fastest wins.
Climbing vocabulary
Bouldering:
name of a type of climbing, which also corresponds to a route or a set of holds which constitutes the route to be taken.
Overhang:
wall whose inclination is beyond the vertical, as if leaning slightly towards the ground.
Increased difficulty.
Harness:
also called “harness”, it is the equipment that allows you to attach yourself to a rope.
Jeté:
action of projecting oneself towards another hold a little distant by leaving the holds on which the feet rested.
Risky move.
No foot:
“no feet” in English, climbing movement in traction, only with the strength of the arms.
Mainly used in case of slope.
Magnesia:
white powder composed of magnesium which is coated on the hands for better grip.
Also used in gymnastics.
Key dates to remember for the Olympics
May 16-19: Olympic qualifying series in Shanghai (China)
June 20-23: Olympic qualifying series in Budapest (Hungary)
August 5-8: men’s and women’s combined semi-finals
August 5: speed qualifications (F)
August 6: speed qualifications (M)
August 7: speed final (F)
August 8: speed final (M)
August 9: combined final (M)
August 10: combined final (F)