The 2020 IFSC Youth World Championships, scheduled to be held in Voronezh (RUS) from August 23 to 31, have been moved to 2021.
The decision was taken by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the Climbing Federation of Russia as an unavoidable result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which already forced the IFSC to postpone or cancel many continental and international competitions. The new dates of the event have yet to be confirmed.
However, along with this decision, the IFSC announced that in 2022 the IFSC Youth World Championships will be held in the United States,, as USA Climbing had previously shown interest in organizing the competition in 2021 and accepted to welcome the next generation of junior and youth climbers the following year.
“To secure in the IFSC calendar two consecutive editions of our Youth World Championships now, while we are still in the middle of the toughest crisis of modern times, is a great sign of hope given by our sport,” said IFSC president Marco Scolaris. “Last year we recorded one of the highest number of participating athletes at the competition in Arco, Italy, and we expect this number to be confirmed in 2021 and 2022. This also means that the Youth World Championships are a great challenge for the Member Federation that choose to organize them, and I would like to publicly praise the Climbing Federation of Russia and USA Climbing for embracing this challenge and shining a bright light on the future of Sport Climbing.”
“We are honored to welcome the world’s best youth competitors in 2022,” said USA Climbing CEO Marc Norman, “and to help them inspire generations of climbers to come.”
According to Patti Rube, president of the USA Climbing Board of Directors, “This is an important event on the journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and we thank the IFSC for entrusting us with this privilege.”
