Sports Bulletin Report
Torino (Italy): The IFSC and Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the Olympian and IFSC Athlete’s Commission President Shauna Coxsey MBE will be part of the commentary line-up for the upcoming IFSC Climbing World Championships live on Eurosport and discovery+.
With just under one year to go to the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where Sport Climbing will be making its second appearance, Coxsey will add her unique Olympic insight commentating on the IFSC Climbing World Championships from 1-12 August – a key event on the road to Paris 2024.
Coxsey will shadow the aspiring Olympians journey beginning with the premier event in Bern, Switzerland, through to the European qualifier in Laval, France, in October. In addition to separate Boulder, Lead and Speed competitions in Bern, climbers will also compete in a new Boulder & Lead (B&L) format that will be used at next year’s Olympic Games. In total, ten Paris 2024 qualification berths will be up for grabs in the Swiss capital – six in Boulder & Lead, four in Speed.
Coxsey will join long-time IFSC commentator Matt Groom in the broadcast booth.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be commentating on the climbers’ Olympic journey with Eurosport and the IFSC,” said Coxsey, whose previous IFSC broadcasting work was warmly received by the Climbing community. “The IFSC World Championships Bern 2023 is perfectly poised with a host of exciting new faces alongside the established names clicking into form, so I cannot wait to get behind the microphone with Matt Groom to commentate on who gets the first tickets to Paris 2024.
“As an Olympian, I know how much these next 12 months will mean to the athletes, so I am looking forward to providing insights as the climbers battle it out against the wall for an Olympic place.”
Great Britain’s most decorated Sport Climber, Coxsey is no stranger to IFSC events, having won the 2016 and 2017 Boulder World Cup seasons following back-to-back silver medals in 2014 and 2015. She retired in 2021 after realising her childhood dream of competing at the Olympic Games, which she did at Tokyo 2020, finishing 10th in the combined Lead, Boulder and Speed competition used for the sport’s Olympic debut.
“Shauna’s knowledge, skills, and expertise will be of invaluable assistance to our viewers during the broadcasts,” said IFSC President Marco Scolaris. “Her appointment will provide fans with the deep insights of an expert climber and the inspirational, behind-the-scenes stories of an Olympian who accomplished everything she set out to in our sport.”
Coxsey is also scheduled to provide commentary at the IFSC European Qualifier in Boulder & Lead in Laval, France, from 27-29 October.
