UKC

Apologies if this has already been covered, can’t see an existing thread. 
 

Does anyone know why ice climbing hasn’t become an Olympic event? I think it was presented at Sochi, but only as an exhibition. I hoped it would be included this year, particularly after the success of climbing at the summer olympics. 

Lack of sexy short shorts?

Have you seen a drytooling comp recently?

I'd say it might have something to do with ice climbing being a) a very niche discipline in an already niche sport; and b) ice being a very hard-to-control medium. I could see drytooling becoming a winter olympic sport once lead climbing has become an established summer olympic discipline but actual ice climbing? That will take some time. Imagine the umpires wrapping their noggins around somebody dinner-plating the crux and then the next participant has to figure out how to do that move...

You've clearly not been out on the hill with me in Winter.

Impossible to get a level playing field, at least without huge cost.   Every competitor would need identical , virgin ice.

Dry tooling could work though.

Ice and dry tooling seem to be one in the same at comp level anyhow. Most of the ice climbing competitions I’ve seen have only a small amount of ice and mainly dry tooling. 

there is no such thing as competitive ice climbing. competition 'ice' climbing is mixed climbing, which in reality is usually 90% on rock/wood/plastic. any ice sections are typically on easier sections so dont get smashed to pieces. the crux sections are almost always on crazy man made structures, either free hanging or solid walls.

as to why it isnt there, because the Chinese didnt choose for it to be. fringe sports are largely at the prerogative of the host nation and i guess there isnt much interest in winter climbing in china yet? im sure one day it will be, it just needs a host nation with strong medal contenders and public interest in the sport.

Can you imagine speed ice climbing? I don't think that would work very well and likely end with ice axes flying around. Until the viewing public gets used to lead climbing I can't see the Olympic committed getting onboard with what is a skill based sport. Even modern pentathlon has a speed component. I suppose we could align ourselves with the gymnasts or the ice dancers but the flying axes might be somewhat difficult to grade for style. "9.5 for the beuatifuily performed tripod with a triple locked door" 

youtube.com/watch?v=Dlb5-XN5y6U&

It's even the Olympic channel, how fitting

At 0:46 they've managed to spell one of the venues incorrectly; quite an achievement!

Who would have thought it. I can't imagine anything more divorced from the realities of the sport.

FTFY

The short answer is that competition Ice Climbing (that's what they call their events) is controlled by the UIAA whereas the other climbing events are controlled by the IFSC.

For a sport to become an Olympic sport the federation must apply, then go through a long multi stage process, in which a great number of conditions must be satisfied before it will even be eligible for consideration.

I've no idea whether the UIAA wants ice climbing to become an Olympic sport (though I suspect they would) or how far they have got through this process, or if they can even qualify? 

You can read more about the process here https://www.britannica.com/story/how-are-sports-chosen-for-the-olympics.

It's not, as other have suggested, a case of just being picked by the Chinese.  It's a much more complex process.

It's hard to argue against it becoming an Olympic sport when you remember...

https://kickasstrips.com/2020/09/saas-fee-the-odd-ice-climbing-world-cup-ta...

They just need the right venue, then you have spectator thrills, and lots of sponsorship tie ins that lubricates the Olympics (all be it subsurface) 

Unless you mean the "real" Olimpicks   (https://www.olimpickgames.co.uk/) which sadly hasn't had a Winter event yet, but maybe this summer...? Covid permitting, fingers crossed

The REAL Olympics take place each year in Wenlock - and the IOC don't make a penny out of it. Truly amateur sport for the fun of it.

The IOC doesn’t make money out of the Olympics, it’s a non-profit ngo.

There's a big difference between 'making money' and 'making a profit'. Ask any (in)decent accountant. Yes, all their income gets spent/invested. Somewhere.