Sport Climbing Competitions Set to Resume

On August 21 and 22, sport climbing will return, said the International Federation for Sport Climbing. In accordance with the current conditions and the decision of the French authorities, the Fédération Française de la Montagne et de l’Escalade and the city of Briançon are ready to host an international event. Originally, Briançon was set to welcome a Lead World Cup on July 18 and 19.

The event will be the first one to be contested under the recently updated IFSC Rules: the 1.4 version of the rulebook, in fact, includes the Addendum to the IFSC Rules to be used during the COVID-19 pandemic, a document redacted by the Climbing During COVID-19 Working Group that enlists specific guidelines and rules concerning hygiene, social distancing and the use of personal protective devices during Sport Climbing competitions.

Since travel restrictions might not allow the participation of athletes belonging to some areas of the world, no points will be attributed, including World Ranking and World Cup 2020 Ranking. No seasonal trophy will be assigned at the end of the year.

Furthermore, the IFSC Sport Department is currently working on a series of IFSC adapted world cups, including:

  • Briançon, France from August 21- 22: Lead
  • Salt Lake City, USA from September 11 – 13: Boulder and Speed
  • Seoul, South Korea from October 7 – 11: Boulder, Lead and Speed DATES TO BE CONFIRMED
  • Chongqing, China from October 23 – 25: Boulder and Speed
  • Wujiang, China from October 30 – November 1: Boulder and Speed
  • Xiamen, China from December 4 to 6: Lead and Speed

“I have seen an extraordinary willpower to move on in several organizers. We are aware of the difficulties, the challenges and the uncertainty,” said IFSC president Marco Scolaris. “However, the world needs a message of hope. The health and safety of our athletes, officials, staff and volunteers will always be our top priority, but looking at the passion living in Briançon, today we are confident that, together with FFME and in full compliance with the French laws and regulations, we will be able to deliver a good competition. We trust the same could happen soon in other countries.”

“I’m happy to see that the combined effort of Serre-Chevalier Briançon, the IFSC and the FFME paid off and that Serre-Chevalier Briançon will host the first stage of the 2020 Sport Climbing season. I’m confident, and I’m sure that, all together, we will succeed in putting a smile upon the faces of our climbing family,” added FFME president Pierre You.