Sports Bulletin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Kranj (September 4, 2021):-The IFSC World Cup Kranj 2021 closed in fantastic fashion, with Olympic Champion Janja Garnbret putting on a show and securing the 31st World Cup gold medal of her fantastic career – a tally that now puts her ahead of South Korea’s Jain Kim, and makes her the most successful climber of all time. Competing on her home soil, 22-year-old Garnbret crushed the competition, entering the stage last and signing off with 49+ – only a couple of holds short of the top. South Korea’s Seo Chaehyun (17) followed in second place with 46 and won silver, while United States’ Natalia Grossman (20) took bronze with 41+. With tonight’s victory, Garnbret also clinched the 2021 Lead World Cup title, jumping from fourth to first place in the ranking and concluding the season with 300 points; Natalia Grossman placed second with 296, and Laura Rogora (20) of Italy finished third with 278. In a challenging, hard-fought men’s final, Japan’s 28-year-old Masahiro Higuchi pocketed the first World Cup gold medal of his career, adding it up to the only other one he previously won: a bronze, also in Kranj, in 2018. Despite failing to top the final route, Higuchi closed with a score of 37, and prevailed over a well-balanced field of competitors: Luka Potocar (19) of Slovenia followed in second position with 31+, climbing on a World Cup podium for the very first time in his career; Sebastian Halenke (26) of Germany completed the podium in third place – also with 31+. Italy’s Stefano Ghisolfi won the 2021 men’s Lead World Cup title with 319 points, United States’ Sean Bailey followed in second place with 277, while tonight’s gold medalist Masahiro Higuchi took third position with 263. The 2021 IFSC Season will now move to Moscow, Russia, where the IFSC Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championships are scheduled from 16 to 21 September. The final World Cup stage of the season, then, will take place in Seoul, South Korea, from 1 to 3 October.

SPORTS DESK Islamabad (August 31, 2021):- Anastasia Sanders from United States of America (USA) show impressive performance and claimed three gold medals at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Youth World Championships 2021 that held from August 21 to 30 in Voronezh, Russia, where 417 athletes representing 37 different nationalities. Athletes contested across three age categories in Boulder, Lead, and Speed, with those participating in all three disciplines also being considered for a combined ranking. In her debut international Sport Climbing competition, 14-year-old Anastasia (Annie) Sanders of the USA won not one, not two, but three gold medals. Sanders placed first in Youth B (athletes born 14 or 15 years before the year of competition) Lead and Boulder, in addition to taking the combined win for her stellar performance throughout the championships. The US climber topped every single Youth B route of the competition, was the only athlete to top all four blocks in the Boulder final – using only one attempt, or ‘flashing’, three of them – and narrowly missed out on a top 10 finish in Speed, settling for 11th place. A triple gold medal win marks a glittering start to Sanders’ career, pinning her as one-to-watch in future competitions. Another noteworthy performance was that of Great Britain’s Hamish McArthur (19), who won a gold medal in both Boulder and Lead, as well as a combined silver medal. Competing in the Junior age category (athletes born 18 or 19 years before the year of competition), McArthur topped all four problems in the Boulder final with two flashes, and secured a top in Lead. The Brit also competed in Speed, putting him on the podium a third time for a combined medal. In the Youth A competition (athletes born 16 or 17 years before the year of competition), Slovenia’s Sara Copar (16) took the win in Lead and placed second in Boulder. Copar also made the quarter final in Speed, setting her in first position in the overall combined ranking and leaving the Slovenian with two gold medals and one silver. Those who ranked first in the Junior and Youth A categories of Boulder, Lead, and Speed are eligible for a place to compete at the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. A total of six quota places will be allocated following the invitation and confirmation of the IFSC and respective National Federations in early 2022, as per the IFSC Qualification System for the World Games. A special mention goes to Zoe Garcia Molina of Argentina (17), Lana Baki? (15) of Croatia, Luke Goh Wen Bin (18) of Singapore, and Poksakon Chotikkrai (18) of Thailand, with each being the sole athlete to represent their country in the championships. The full Junior podium line-ups are as follows: Junior men’s Boulder Hamish McArthur (GBR) Rei Kawamata (JPN) Paul Jenft (FRA) Junior women’s Boulder Naïlé Meignan (FRA) Emily Phillips (GBR) Lucija Tarkus (SLO) Junior women’s Lead Nonoha Kume (JPN) Lucija Tarkus (SLO) Camille Pouget (FRA) Junior men’s Lead Hamish McArthur (GBR) Paul Jenft (FRA) Rei Kawamata (JPN) Junior men’s Speed Iaroslav Pashkov (RUS) Ukolov Danila (RUS) Lawrence Bogeschdorfer (AUT) Junior women’s Speed Franziska Ritter (GER) Giulia Randi (ITA) Capucine Viglione (FRA) Junior men’s Combined Lawrence Bogeschdorfer (AUT) Hamish McArthur (GBR) Johannes Hofherr (AUT) Junior women’s Combined Emily Phillips (GBR) Lucija Tarkus (SLO) Mahya Darabian (IRI) The full Youth A podium line-ups are as follows: Youth A men’s Boulder Hannes Van Duysen (BEL) Emil Zimmermann (GER) Thorben Perry Bloem (GER) Youth A women’s Boulder Zélia Avezou (FRA) Sara Copar (SLO) Alessia Mabboni (ITA) Youth A men’s Lead Haruki Uemura (JPN) Mejdi Schalck (FRA) Timotej Romšak (SLO) Youth A women’s Lead Sara Copar (SLO) Alessia Mabboni (ITA) Liza Novak (SLO) Youth A men’s Speed Maksim Ryzhov (RUS) Hryhorii Ilchyshyn (UKR) Marco Rontini (ITA) Youth A women’s Speed Beatrice Colli (ITA) Nuria Brockfeld (GER) Callie Close (USA) Youth A men’s Combined Edvards Gruzitis (LAT) Toby Roberts (GBR) Timotej Romšak (SLO) Youth A women’s Combined Sara Copar (SLO) Callie Close (USA) Liza Novak (SLO) The full Youth B podium line-ups are as follows: Youth B men’s Boulder Nikolay Rusev (BUL) Sorato Anraku (JPN) Augustine Chi (USA) Youth B women’s Boulder Anastasia Sanders (USA) Meije Lerondel (FRA) Sina Willy (AUT) Youth B men’s Lead Sorato Anraku (JPN) Hugo Hoyer (USA) Dillon Countryman (USA) Youth B women’s Lead Anastasia Sanders (USA) Meije Lerondel (FRA) Mio Nukui (JPN) Youth B men’s Speed Kirill Koldomov (RUS) Samuel Watson (USA) Yusuke Sugimoto (JPN) Youth B women’s Speed Daria Marciniak (POL) Francesca Matuella (ITA) Julie Fritsche (GER) Youth B men’s Combined Dillon Countryman (USA) Nikolay Rusev (BUL) Timo Uznik (AUT) Youth B women’s Combined Anastasia Sanders (USA) Anastasia Kobets (UKR) Sina Willy (AUT)

SPORTS NEWS Torino (August 20, 2021):-As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) are disappointed to announce the cancellation of two world cups in China at the tail-end of the 2021 season. The IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup in Xiamen from 15 to 17 October, and the IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup in Wujiang from 22 to 24 October, will no longer take place. Therefore, the World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia, will see the closing of the Lead season from 3 to 4 September, and the Boulder season will conclude in Seoul, South Korea, from 1 to 3 October. The finale of the shortened Speed season remains undisrupted, from 30 to 31 October in Jakarta, Indonesia. IFSC President Marco Scolaris said, “After a disrupted 2020 season, thanks to the efforts of our staff, officials, event organisers, athletes, and National Federations, the 2021 season has been able to go ahead successfully so far. However, the pandemic is still very real and therefore, we’re disappointed that due to COVID-19 the world cups in Xiamen and Wujiang will not go ahead in October. We thank our friends at the CMA for their support and hope that Sport Climbing will return to China in 2022.”

SPORTS NEWS Tokyo (August 3, 2021):-For the very first time in history, Sport Climbing athletes today participated in an Olympic Games, as the sport made its long-anticipated debut at Tokyo 2020. A total of 20 climbers took to the Olympic walls within Tokyo’s Aomi Urban Sports Park, competing in the Men’s Combined qualification event for a spot in Thursday’s final. First on the agenda was Speed, where France’s Bassa Mawem triumphed and took the men’s Speed Olympic Record with a time of 5.45 seconds – just 0.25 seconds shy of the current World Record. Joining the sub-six-second scores were Mawem’s younger brother, Mickael, with 5.95 seconds, and Japan’s Tomoa Narasaki, who chose not to climb a second time after stopping the clock at 5.94 in his first run. After placing third in the Speed round, Mickael Mawem put on another stellar performance in Boulder by achieving three tops and four zones. Securing first place, the French athlete positioned himself firmly at the top of the Combined table with a score of three, followed closely by Narasaki with four points. The pair were the only two athletes to find a solution to the second of four blocs, which mixed together a concoction of balance and strength. The Czech Republic’s Adam Ondra closed the Boulder round in third place with two tops and three zones. When asked his thoughts on Sport Climbing’s debut at the Olympic Games, Ondra said: “It's a big step for Sport Climbing. In the world of the competition, it's been a big dream for years, and climbing deserves to be here as a sport. Unfortunately there's only one set of medals, but it will be a good stepping stone for the future where hopefully it will be all three single disciplines." The Men’s Combined qualification round concluded with Lead, with Austria’s Jakob Schubert taking the top spot with a score of 42+, matched by Colin Duffy of the USA. Spain’s Alberto Ginés López reached 41+, therefore closing the Lead round as the only other athlete to climb above hold 40. When asked about the conditions during the competition – over 30°C and 80% humidity – Duffy said: "It was definitely in the back of my head, the fact that I'm not really used to finding this much humidity. Lead is a really unforgiving discipline, one slip or just one small mistake and you’re off. But I was able to just kind of put it in the back of my head and get in my zone and just do what I do best, which is just climb." Despite placing 11th in Lead, Mickael Mawem bagged himself an unbeatable birthday present: the top position in the Combined ranking and thus, a spot in the final. His brother Bassa faced an unfortunate bicep injury during the Lead round, falling at hold seven. However, thanks to his first place in Speed, Mawem achieved a place in the final alongside his younger sibling. An update on his condition will be given in the morning once he has been assessed by his medical team. Following today’s qualification, the following eight Olympians will head into the Men’s Combined Final this Thursday: 1. Mickael Mawem (FRA) 2. Tomoa Narasaki (JPN) 3. Colin Duffy (USA) 4. Jakob Schubert (AUT) 5. Adam Ondra (CZE) 6. Alberto Ginés López (ESP) 7. Bassa Mawem (FRA) 8. Nathaniel Coleman (USA) When asked about participating in his first Olympic Games – the very first in which Sport Climbing has been featured on the programme – Ginés López said: "Everything is amazing. Every day is amazing. I'm so excited to be here, to compete in a few days." Next up on Sport Climbing’s Olympic schedule is the women’s Combined qualification, which will take place tomorrow, 4 August, from 5:00 PM (UTC+9:00). The men’s Combined final is scheduled for 5 August, with the women’s Combined final taking place on 6 August.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 13, 2021):-Originally scheduled to take place in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, the IFSC Lead World Cup in September is now to be held 20 kilometres away in Kranj, Slovenia – the 25th time a Sport Climbing World Cup has been hosted in the country’s third-largest city. As a result of the venue relocation, the first World Cup following the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is now set to take place from 3 to 4 September, as opposed to 4 to 5 September as initially listed on the 2021 IFSC calendar. With four Slovenian athletes making finals in the first two Lead world cups of the season and Slovenia’s very own star Janja Garnbret claiming the top podium position at each, the penultimate Lead World Cup of 2021 on the team’s home soil will be a must-see. At the 2019 Lead World Cup in Kranj, Slovenia’s Lucka Rakovec took home bronze; Will the 20-year-old earn another medal this year?

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (July 5, 2021):-At the end of a weekend consistently affected by variable weather, rain, and humidity, the IFSC World Cup in Villars, Switzerland, concluded with two exciting Lead finals, where Team USA representatives Sean Bailey and Colin Duffy occupied two thirds of the men’s podium, respectively placing first and third. As none of the eight male participants secured the top hold, Bailey – Boulder gold medalist at this year’s World Cup in Salt Lake City, USA – concluded with 38, and is now the only male climber able to secure the brightest medal in both the Boulder and Lead disciplines. Participating in his first Lead final round ever, Duffy secured the bronze medal with 31+. The podium was completed by German Olympian Alexander Megos, who finished with 35+ and won the sixth World Cup medal of his career. A second German finalist, Sebastian Halenke, finished in fourth place with 26.5+; while Alberto Gines Lopez of Spain took fifth with 26.5. France’s first time finalist Paul Janft followed in sixth position with 26, while Japan’s Masahiro Higuchi and Zento Murashita concluded at the bottom of the ranking, taking seventh and eight places with 12 and 11+ In the women’s final, after they both clipped at the top of the route, Slovenian superstar Janja Garnbret prevailed over Italy’s Laura Rogora thanks to her better placement in the semi-final. It is the fourth World Cup gold medal out of five participations in 2021 for Garnbret, who will now pause from competitions to focus on her preparation for the Olympic Games. Rogora’s silver, on the other hand, is only her second World Cup medal ever, with the first one being a Lead gold she won in Briançon in August 2020 – where she managed to beat Garnbret herself. The fantastic night of team USA was completed with Natalia Grossman’s bronze medal – the fifth of her season – that she secured with a stunning 42+. Just outside of the podium, Japan’s Momoko Abe placed fourth with 40+, followed by Slovenia’s Vita Lukan, who placed fifth also with 40+. First-time finalist Aleksandra Totkova of Bulgaria finished in sixth position with 33+; Slovenia’s Lucka Rakovec placed seventh with 17+; and Mia Krampl, the fourth Slovenian climber in the final, finished at the bottom of the ranking, also with 17+. The 2021 IFSC World Cup Series will now move to Chamonix, France, where the next IFSC Lead World Cup is scheduled from 12 to 13 July.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2021):-With under three months to go to the Olympic Games Tokyo, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has announced new broadcasting agreements with four partners. The new deals will see an increase in coverage of IFSC competitions. With an eye to increasing the digital footprint of IFSC competitions, Zhibo.tv in China has acquired exclusive digital rights with a commitment to broadcast all IFSC competitions live or delayed for the 2021 and 2022 seasons in the territory of China. The deal also includes non-exclusive rights for the 2021 World Championships and the IFSC events taking place in China. As one of the biggest sports-only digital platforms in China, Zhibo.tv continues to develop digital partnerships worldwide and the agreement with the IFSC adds another leading International Federation to its growing list of clients. Commenting on the new broadcast partnerships, IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “With live sport returning to the global sporting calendar, we have seen increased demand for rights to show our competitions and we are delighted to welcome these partners to the IFSC for the 2021 season. We are confident that these partnerships will provide climbing fans around the world a more comprehensive offering of our events. I would like to extend our gratitude to all our Member Federations and local organisers, for their outstanding, tireless work; and to our athletes, who are always able to compete at the highest level, despite the many difficulties.”

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (April 1, 2021):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) hit another important milestone today, as it reached an agreement with the European Olympic Committees (EOC) for the inclusion of Sport Climbing in the program of the next edition of the European Games, set to take place in Krakow, Poland, in June 2023. The agreement adds up to the ones the IFSC recently signed with other main continental sports organisation – such as European Championships Management and Pan American Sports – setting up for Sport Climbing’s debut on major multi-sport stages like the European Championships Munich 2022 and the Pan American Games Santiago 2023. “Together with the IFSC European Council we decided to grab the great opportunity to see our sport on the prestigious of the European Games Krakow 2023,” commented IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “Just few weeks after the inclusion in the Pan American Games, we are confident that this new step up will strengthen the relationship between our National Federations and their National Olympic Committees, much to the benefit of the global growth of our sport.” “Sport Climbing is an appealing sport for all and easy to start,” added IFSC Olympic and Multi-Sport Games Director Jerome Meyer. “We can observe that popularity across all the world climbing places, that is not only a new sport but a whole community that will be joining the 2023 European Games.” “Sport Climbing and Triathlon are two exciting Olympic sports that we are thrilled to welcome to the 2023 European Games,” said Chair of the Coordination Commission for the European Games 2023 Hasan Arat. “Both sports are fan favourites, and they join an already solid line-up of sports for 2023 that we are confident will be the most comprehensive and innovative yet for a European Games.” Alongside the upcoming editions of the European Championships, European Games and Pan American Games, Sport Climbing has been included in the Asian Games programme in 2018, and represents a touchstone of The World Games since 2005. Krakow 2023 will be the third edition of the European Games, following up from the ones organised in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015, and Minsk, Belarus, in 2019.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (March 24, 2021):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and USA Climbing jointly announced that the third Paraclimbing World Cup of 2021 would be taken place this 9 and 10 October in Los Angeles, USA, host city of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The announcement marks a major achievement for both the IFSC and the Paraclimbing community, and was one of the key goals of the IFSC Strategic Plan 2020-2028, presented and unanimously approved at the XVI IFSC Plenary Assembly. The Strategic Plan called for the inclusion of Paraclimbing on the sports programme of the Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028 – with the application deadline in the fourth quarter of 2021. This will be the second IFSC competition organised in the City of Angels in the last two years, following a very successful IFSC Pan American Championships in February and March 2020 at the Sender One Climbing Gym – the same venue that will welcome the IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup this October. Los Angeles beat out a number of excellent bids from other US candidate cities to host the competition. The 2021 Paraclimbing calendar also includes Paraclimbing world cups in Innsbruck, Austria and Briançon, France, with the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russia from 15 to 22 September. IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “The confirmation of this event in Los Angeles is the cherry on top of an amazing Paraclimbing season. Against all adverse circumstances, still existing because of the pandemic, we’ll give everything to keep our hopes so high.” Sebastian Depke, Chair of the IFSC Paraclimbing Committee, said: “It is definitely a good sign to have a Paraclimbing Word Cup in Los Angeles, where the 2028 Paralympic Games that we aim to apply for will take place. We are thankful to the IFSC and the whole USA Climbing organisation for their commitment in holding the first-ever Paraclimbing World Cup on US-soil.” Marc Norman, Chief Executive Officer at USA Climbing, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting an IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup stop at Sender One at LAX. The Sender One team is phenomenal, and their facilities are world class, providing an event on par with the level of athletes. Hosting this important Paraclimbing World Cup in the United States and Los Angeles is an incredible opportunity to introduce the amazing Paraclimbing event and its athletes to the Organising Committee of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We thank the IFSC for the opportunity and look forward to a great event hosted by Sender One and to watching the Paraclimbing athletes show us all what is possible.” Maureen Beck, Chair of USA Climbing’s Paraclimbing Committee, said: "After years of competing overseas, I could not be more elated for the US to stage an IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup. It's an honor to be able to host our climbing family from overseas and show them the momentum that USAC has built for the Paraclimbing community." Alice Kao, Chief Executive Officer of Sender One Climbing Gym, said: "Even though this has been one of the most trying years I can remember, when Marc asked me if Sender One would host a Paraclimbing world cup, we didn't hesitate to say yes. We all remember what we felt during the Pan-American Championships. I think we could all use some inspiration and joy."

SPORTS REPORT NALTAR (January 21, 2021):-Waqar Junior’s outstanding run in both Slalom and Giant Slalom events helped Gilgit Baltistan (GB) Scouts to lift the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Alpine Ski Cup 2021 at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Ski Resort, Naltar on Thursday. He was in supreme form in both Slalom and Giant Slalom races, and grabbed gold and silver medals in both categories respectively.  In the Slalom category, former Olympian Mohammad Abbas from Pakistan Air Force had a wonderful day on the slope and earned the gold medal in the respective category. The silver medal in Slalom was won by GB Scouts’s Waqar Junior, while Noor Mohammad from Pakistan Army claimed the bronze medal. Gilgit Baltistan Scouts also dominated in the Giant Slalom category, besides Waqar Junior’s gold, the silver and bronze medals were also won by his teammates Sajjad Ahmad and Waqas Azam respectively. Teams of PAF, Pakistan Army, GB Scouts, Swat, Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Islamabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) participated in the top national ski event.