Sport Climbing Combined at the Olympics: An Informative Guide
Sport climbing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), introducing a combined format that challenged athletes across all three major disciplines of the sport: Speed Climbing , Bouldering , and Lead Climbing . The inclusion of sport climbing in the Olympics marked a significant milestone for the climbing community and helped bring the sport to a global audience. What Is the Sport Climbing Combined Format? The combined format is a competition structure in which climbers must compete in all three disciplines of sport climbing. Here’s a breakdown of each: 1. Speed Climbing Climbers race up a standardized 15-meter wall. The route is always the same, allowing climbers to train and optimize every movement. Speed climbing emphasizes explosiveness, precision, and memorization. 2. Bouldering Competitors climb short but complex “problems” (routes) on a 4.5-meter wall without ropes. They have a time limit...