The sport climbing world championships have come a long way since their inception in 1991. It all started with the inaugural event held in Frankfurt, Germany, following the establishment of a climbing World Series and Climbing World Cup in the preceding years. Over the years, the Championships grew in size and popularity, attracting host cities such as Innsbruck, Austria; Geneva, Switzerland; Paris, France; and Birmingham, Great Britain.
The number of athletes participating increased from 110 to 180 during this period, showcasing the growing interest in sport climbing worldwide. In 1998, boulder climbing was officially recognized as the third discipline of sport climbing, leading to the introduction of World Cup events in bouldering the following year. Bouldering was added to the World Championships in Winterthur, Switzerland, further expanding the scope of the competition.
The Championships underwent changes in their schedule after 2011 when they moved to even-numbered years to avoid conflicts with the World Games. The 2012 World Championships in Paris marked a significant milestone when it became possible for athletes to compete in a combined event featuring lead, boulder and speed disciplines. Para-climbing was also added to the official programme around that same time.
Following sport climbing’s inclusion in the Olympic programme starting from 2019 at Hachioji Japan’s championships became Olympic qualifiers. The events were held on odd-numbered years henceforth. This year’s championships will take place in Bern Switzerland where there is a significant change coming for combined event format – it is transitioning into refreshed “Boulder and Lead” format reflecting speed climbers new separate event at Olympics.
Sport climbing has come a long way since its early days and continues to grow both domestically and internationally with its inclusion into Olympic programmes.
In conclusion, since its debut on international stage over three decades ago, sport climbing has evolved significantly both as an athletic pursuit and an Olympic sport. As such, it continues to attract more athletes worldwide while providing fans with exciting competitions that are sure to be entertaining for many years to come.
