At Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Spain’s Alberto Gines and Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret won the first-ever Olympic sport climbing championship. However, they may differ from the top favourites for Paris 2024, as the competition format has been changed for the next Games edition.

Paris 2024 will have more medal opportunities for climbers than Tokyo 2020. While Tokyo only had one set of medals for each gender in a combined boulder, lead, and speed event, Paris will have two separate events: speed and boulder/lead. Each event will have its gold medal.

Athletes must qualify for Paris 2024 through new qualification systems before competing at the Olympics. Read on to learn about the boulder and lead qualification process for Paris 2024.

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How Many Climbers Will Qualify For Boulder and Lead At Paris 2024?

The combined boulder and lead event at Paris 2024 will feature 20 athletes for each gender. Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can have a maximum of four quotas, with two for men and two for women. The quotas are assigned to individual athletes rather than the NOC as a whole, which is different from other sports.

France will receive one gender-based quota for hosting purposes, while another gender-based allocation will be available through Universality. 36 spots will be offered for boulder and lead specialists over the next two years. Climbers born on or before January 1st 2008, are eligible to participate in the qualifications.

How To Qualify As a Climber For Paris 2024?

In addition to the quotas reserved for the host NOC (one for male and one for female) and Universality places (one for male and one for female), there are three qualifying methods for the combined boulder and lead discipline: the World Championship in 2023, the Continental Qualifiers in 2023, and the Olympic Qualifier Series in 2024.

IFSC Climbing World Championship (Boulder and Lead) – Bern (SUI), August 2023 – Six Climbers

In the 2023 World Championship, the top three climbers of each gender will be awarded one quota place each while adhering to the maximum quota places allowed for each National Olympic Committee (NOC).

IFSC Continental Qualifiers (Boulder and Lead) – Sept-Dec 2023 – Ten Climbers

Each Continental Qualifier will award one quota place to the highest-placed athlete per gender, keeping in mind the maximum quotas per gender per NOC. If the winner of a Continental Qualifier has already secured a quota place at the 2023 World Championship, the quota place will go to the next highest eligible climber who has yet to qualify at the same Continental Qualifier.

The Continental Qualifiers consist of five events: African Qualifier (date and location to be determined), Asian Qualifier (date and location to be determined), European Qualifier (date and location to be determined), Oceanian Qualifier (date and location to be determined), and Pan American Qualifier, which will take place at the Pan-American Games in Santiago (CHI) in October 2023.

Olympic Qualifier Series* – March-June 2024 – Twenty Climbers

The OQS is a new set of three sporting events where athletes can earn a chance to qualify for Paris 2024. In sport climbing, athletes will receive invitations based on their rankings in international events in 2023. However, it still needs to be clarified how the quota places will be allocated. There will be a maximum quota per gender per National Federation, and the allocation of quota places will abide by the maximum quota per gender per NOC.

The Paris 2024 Sport Climbing Format and Schedule

The sport climbing tournament for Paris 2024 is scheduled in Le Bourget from 5 to August 10th 2024. It will follow the same format as the combined boulder and lead competition in Tokyo 2020. Contestants will earn points in both events, and the climber with the highest total score will be named the Olympic champion.

Both male and female participants will begin by competing in bouldering. The bouldering and lead climbing semi-finals will occur on August 5th and 6th. The highest-ranking climbers from both semi-finals will then advance to compete for the medals in the combined finals on August 9th for men and August 10th for women.

Sport climbing has come a long way since its inception as an official competitive sport. Once limited to local competitions, today, it is a fast-growing and international sport with championships hosted worldwide. With new and improved equipment, training strategies and rulesets, the climber’s experience has evolved in many ways.

Growth of the Climbing Community

The acceptance of sport climbing as an Olympic discipline in Tokyo 2020 was met with much enthusiasm from the climbing community, which experienced a growth in popularity overnight. What started out as a leisure activity for climbers to bond over soon became an international phenomenon with a whole new set of goals and aspirations set in place for the upcoming generation of athletes. Climbers now consider themselves part of something bigger – belonging to a global rock-climbing family united by their love for adventure and competition.

Evolution of Equipment

A number of improvements have been made to professional-grade climbing equipment over the past few years, with manufacturers introducing new holds, ropes and harnesses explicitly designed for performance climbers. This constant innovation keeps pushing physical and mental boundaries, allowing climbers to reach higher heights safely and efficiently while maintaining good technique throughout their ascent.

Manufacturers also use unique non-slip materials on holds, giving climbers more grip to remain confident even when attempting challenging routes or scaling walls almost vertically.

Changes have been made not only to professional-grade equipment but also beginner-level gear, which makes it easier for newcomers to get into sport climbing safely whilst still being able to challenge themselves on more demanding routes than before.

Evolution of Rules & Regulations

In line with other competitive sports, sports climbing events also have their own unique sets of rules or regulations that must be followed for climbers to remain safe during competition.

These regulations cover safety protocols such as types of belaying devices allowed, route-setting standards and qualifications a judge must possess before officiating events etc. All these factors combine in making sport climbing a safe yet challenging discipline within the realm of athletics, where every athlete competes within their capabilities while striving towards greater heights each time they climb.

The introduction of standardized protocols also helps facilitate smoother transitions between different tournaments globally, thus providing better experiences for competitors regardless of whether they are amateurs or professionals.

FAQ

How does one qualify for the sport of bouldering? – To qualify for the sport of bouldering, athletes can take part in the World Championship 2023, Continental Qualifiers in 2023 and the Olympic Qualifier Series* in 2024. A maximum of four quotas (two men and two women) per NOC is available, with one allocation per gender being given to the host country France and another being available through Universality places.
What are the different boulder problems? – The different boulder problems are classified according to their difficulty levels set by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). These levels range from the most accessible movement difficulties labelled as V0, up to extremely tough V15-V17 that only a handful of professional climbers have been able to complete.
How does the Paris 2024 qualification system work? – The qualification system for Paris 2024 consists of three steps: The IFSC Climbing World Championship (B&L) – Bern (SUI), August 2023; the IFSC Continental Qualifiers (B&L) – Sept-Dec 2023; and the Olympic Qualifier Series* in 2024, with a maximum of four quotas per NOC available, respectively.
How many spots are available for men and women? – For men and women there are 36 spots available at each qualifying event over the next two years; twenty spots via the World Championship 2023, ten from the Continental Qualifiers in 2023, and another six from the Olympic Qualifier Series* in 2024 – making a total of 36 spots for each gender.
When is the earliest that athletes can qualify? – The earliest that athletes can qualify for Paris 2024 is through participating in either one of these events: The World Championship 2023; or any of the Continental Qualifiers held during Sept-Dec 2023; after which climbers will be invited to take part in The Olympic Qualifier Series set to take place between March and June 2024.
What is the difference between an IFSC and an IOC event? – An IFSC event is an event organized by an international sports climbing federation licensed by IFSC while IOC events are those organized by a National or Regional Sports Climbing Association affiliated to or recognized by its National Olympic Committee or Regional Sports Organizations/Associations affiliated with it that has been supported financially or otherwise by its National Olympic Committee or Regional Sports Organizations/Associations affiliated with it as approved by its National Olympic Committee or Regional Sports Organizations/Associations affiliated with it for purposes determined by such organizations. In other words, IFSC is more focused on training athletes at an international level while IOC works towards developing opportunities for athletes at the local level through organizing games like the Olympics that involve countries from all over the world coming together under one platform thus enhancing cultural exchange among nations & people through sportsmanship & fair play while promoting physical fitness & mental wellbeing among participants even outside the sporting circle!
What are the requirements for an athlete to be eligible to compete in the Olympics? – According to International standards governed officially by both IOC & IFSC guidelines all potential candidates vying for participation must be born on or before January 1st 2008 unless stated differently as per consenting rules depending on sports genre like diving has a lower age criterion than climbing but good overall health condition remains general criteria also need valid citizenship identity issued legally along with other documentation proving eligibility like personal details etc..!
What is the process for an athlete to be selected into an Olympic team? – To select an athlete into an Olympic team usually process begins with shortlisting candidates through national federations based on performances followed closely followed open forums discussing explicitly individual strengths & weaknesses comparatively with rest then fittest member gets selected procedurally subjected successfully fulfilment criteria established based on objectives associated initially starting phase finally conclusion arrives made after unanimous vote comprising many experts sharing specific skillset needed shortlisted individuals must possess meet expectations soundly decided considering entire body than just legs etc if a candidate scores highest points him/her becomes automatic selection later process involves some paperwork formally declaring candidacy chosen end result confirms irrespective who wins medal ultimately every participant learns much beyond expectations!