UKC

As the Sport Climbing selection process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games begins at the IFSC World Championships in Bern, Switzerland next week, we take a look at the new format, its scoring system and the qualification pathway.

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Very informative. Thanks.

In lead, I’m assuming clipping the chain has no value as such, is that correct? Cue celebratory whippers off the last hold…

Also, no “plus” mark in lead. Perhaps seen as too subtle for the wider Olympic audience but I’d have thought there would be some merit in giving 0.1 points in lieu of a plus…

Just updated to explain those situations. There is actually a +0.1 for moving positively from a hold before falling (and it happened in the two trial format competitions) but I couldn't find it in the rules until just now! I thought it had been dropped somehow.

Super! Alles ist klar.

It's a bit confusing because there are separate events for bouldering, lead and combined at the Bern world champs but only the combined bit is part of the Olympic qualification. 

Yeah, the individual events qualify the climbers to the combined event. Basically the rankings from the spearate Boulder and Lead championships will be assigned a certain number of points and then they are added to form a total. Top 20 make the combined event. From the IFSC guide to the format in Bern:

After the conclusion of the single disciplines, the Boulder & Lead semi-finals and finals will be held (20 athletes per gender). In order to qualify the athletes to the Boulder & Lead semi-finals, article 13.5.D.2 of IFSC rules will apply. 2) where no combined Boulder & Lead competition in the Combined Discipline is held, a combined Boulder & Lead ranking will be calculated from the General Rankings for the competitions in the Boulder and Lead disciplines, assigning ranking points as set out at Annex 3 (Cup Ranking Points) to each set of results. A points total will be calculated for each competitor participating in both Boulder and Lead disciplines and these competitors will be ranked in descending order of the total points awarded and the ranking published. Following this article, a Boulder & Lead ranking will be generated at the end of the European Championships three disciplines. From this ranking, the best 20 athletes will be selected to compete at the B&L semi-finals. 

https://cdn.ifsc-climbing.org/images/Events/2023/230801_Bern_WCH/BL_guide_B...

Good news. Now walls can get rid of their speed walls that are hardly ever used and add more normal lines. (Parthian, Boulders, …)

Thanks, that makes sense. I'm off to Bern to see the combined so good to know the process. 

Also worth noting that the -0.1 only applies for attempts prior to controlling the highest Zone reached or the Top. It does not apply to consecutive unsuccessful attempts, so athletes will not be penalised for making multiple failed attempts to get higher. If they reach the next Zone or Top, the points will be deducted from that higher value.

I think there has been some confusion that any attempt is a -0.1 and that this could be used tactically and cause athletes to stop attempts prematurely.

I've added this.

So the -0.1 is basically just there to differentiate those that flash the problem (or flash getting to a zone hold) from those that take more than one attempt - sounds reasonable to me.

Please get rid of the speed climbing - it's crap

Really the problem has been dealt with by making it a separate disclipline. I mean dressage is a load of nonsense too but I'm happy enough just not watching it.

Really informative article.  It would be very interesting to see how the GB hopefuls stack up for qualifying opportunities.  Toby is obviously flying at the moment and in both boulder and lead so he must be confident.  Others not quite so much.  How will our athletes look to take advantage of the qualifying opportunities because as previously, the field can be stacked in certain comps and not quite so competitive in others.  Was it Shauna who surprised us all in speed and got her golden ticket?  Is that possible again?  I have chatted to some who say its extremely difficult to see a GB athlete getting to the Olympics because of their 2022 results arent good enough.  Its rather confusing how it works.

That's a bad example. I would definitely watch speed dressage.

Toby is as well placed as any athlete in the world - he's second in the combined world rankings behind Sorato Anraku. I think he said in one of his YouTube videos that he thinks he's already qualified for the Olympic Qualifier series, so he'll have multiple attempts to qualify, and every chance of succeeding in any one of them - top 3 at WC seems possible, equally so winning continental, and would surely back him to succeed at OQS if it comes to it.

2022 results don't play a part in qualification, but if you mean 2023, then that's true: Hamish is next best according to world rankings, in 28th, but given the sporadic attendance at comps by some big names, that does look a bit precarious. Similarly, Molly is 27th, and although consistent in lead, she'll have to have an excellent day in boulder to stand a chance.

So i'd only have said Toby stands a chance, but a good one at that, and who's to say we won't be surprised by others! 

I know its late but thanks for this response.  I did kind of mean 2022 tbh.  I was under the impression that those results would effect being allowed to take part in qualifying comps for olympics in 2023.  As you mention the Olympic Qualifier series Toby 'thinks' he has qualified for.  Maybe im just getting confused by all the avenues to qualification.

Totally agree that it looks like Toby is the great hope.  Not sure how any of the others will get any opportunities to take advantage of circumstances.

When the IOC was voting on whether to include climbing in the Olympics, speed climbing was voted in 97 to 2. On the other hand, boulder/lead barely made 50% of the votes.  Speed was the big hit of Tokyo and is easily understandable by Olympic audiences.  You may not like it but these climbers are elite athletes who train tirelessly for split second wins or losses.

Wouldn't it be more sensible in the lead competition to give the same number of points per hold? For example, one point per hold if there were 100 holds, or two points per hold for just the last fifty holds, or something similar?

Si.

Intuitively that sounds logically but with such a premium on boulder tops to make the comp balanced, the lead route too needs to be weighted with more points nearer the top.

Also, the move from hold 40 to 41 will invariably feel harder than the move from hold 7 to 8, which I think justifies more points for the higher move...