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CLIMBING - Int News 20 May, 2022

TWO IFSC WORLD CUPS IN CHINA CALLED OFF DUE TO PANDEMIC

Sports Bulletin Report Torino (Italy):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) announced the cancellation of two World Cups that were scheduled for later this fall in Wujiang and Chongqing, China, due to ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) recently informed the IFSC of its decision to withdraw from hosting the IFSC Lead and Speed World Cup, from 30 September to 2 October in Wujiang, and the IFSC Boulder & Lead World Cup from 6 to 9 October in Chongqing.

CLIMBING - Int News 20 May, 2022

CLIMBING ELITE GATHERS IN SALT LAKE CITY FOR BACK-TO-BACK WORLD CUPS

Sports Bulletin Report Salt Lake City (USA):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 kicked off at the beginning of April, in Meiringen, Switzerland, traveled all the way to Seoul, South Korea, and are about to land on the third, different continent in less than two months. Following the first-ever back-to-back of IFSC events, organised in May 2021, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, is about to welcome three IFSC events in the span of ten days: two IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cups – scheduled from 20 to 22, and from 27 to 29 May – and an IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup, taking place on 24 and 25 May. The two IFSC Climbing World Cups will be organised in Pioneer Park, and will enlist 209 athletes from 31 countries or territories, and five continents; and 227 athletes from 33 countries or territories, and five continents. The Paraclimbing event is going to be hosted by The Front Climbing Gym, with 101 athletes registered to compete, representing 19 countries or territories, and four continents. After winning both of last year’s women’s Boulder events in Salt Lake City, Natalia Grossman of the United States of America will aim for her second consecutive World Cup gold medal. Also contending for a spot on the podium will be Olympians Petra Klingler of Switzerland, Oceania Mackenzie of Australia, Jessica Pilz of Austria, and Alannah Yip of Canada. In the men’s Boulder event, Team Japan will try to continue its domination, having secured five out of the six World Cup medals awarded so far in 2022. Narasaki Tomoa and Fujii Kokoro – gold medallists at the IFSC World Cups in Meiringen, Switzerland, and Seoul, South Korea, respectively, will lead a stellar group of climbers that also includes Ogata Yoshiyuki and Takata Tomoaki. In the Speed events, all eyes will be on the fastest climbers in the world – Kiromal Katibin of Indonesia, and Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland – who both set new Speed world records at the IFSC World Cup in Seoul, earlier this month. Competing on their home soil, John Brosler and Emma Hunt will also battle for a spot on the Speed podiums. Schedules of the three events: IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup Friday, 20 May: 12:15 PM - Speed qualifications 8:00 PM - Speed finals Saturday, 21 May: 9:00 AM - Men's Boulder qualification 3:30 PM - Women's Boulder qualification Sunday, 22 May: 11:00 AM - Boulder semifinals 6:00 PM - Men's Boulder final Followed by - Women's Boulder final IFSC Paraclimbing World Cup: Tuesday, 24 May: 9:00 AM - Paraclimbing qualifications Wednesday, 25 May: 12:00 PM - Paraclimbing finals IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup: Friday, 27 May: 12:15 PM - Speed qualifications 8:00 PM - Speed finals Saturday, 28 May: 9:00 AM - Women's Boulder qualification 3:30 PM - Men's Boulder qualification Sunday, 29 May: 11:00 AM - Boulder semifinals 6:00 PM - Women's Boulder final Followed by - Men's Boulder final

CLIMBING - Int News 18 May, 2022

IFSC PRESENTS PARIS 2024 QUALIFICATION SYSTEM

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-The Qualification Systems for Sport Climbing and the other 31 sports that make up the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 have been approved by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The qualification period for Sport Climbing, pre-approved by the Executive Board of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) ahead of the IOC meeting, will begin in August 2023 at the 2023 IFSC Climbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland. It will continue with five continental qualifying events, to be held between September and December 2023, and conclude with the Olympic Qualifier Series, announced last month by the IOC, from March to June 2024. Qualification for Paris 2024 will be limited to two Sport Climbing athletes per gender and per National Olympic Committee in each discipline. Qualifying places will be allocated to the athletes by name.

CLIMBING - Int News 09 May, 2022

GROSSMAN, FUJII CROWNED IN SEOUL

Sports Bulletin Report SEOUL (Korea):-The first International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup hosted by an Asian city since October 2019 closed tonight at the Jungnang Sport Climbing Stadium, inside the Yongma Waterfall Park in Seoul. Natalia Grossman of the United States of America capped off a fantastic performance with a smooth flash on problem number four. The US talent finished the event with the gold medal around her neck, and the impressive record of 13 boulder problems solved out of 13 between qualification, semi-final, and final. One top shy of the gold medal position, Oriane Bertone of France slipped when she was centimeters away from securing the third bloc of the round, which eventually turned out to be the decisive one. The 17-year-old finished second, claiming the third World Cup medal of her career. The podium was completed by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Brooke Raboutou, also of the United States of America, who signed off with three tops and three zones, winning the bronze medal. Just outside of the medal positions, Stasa Gejo of Serbia took fourth place with two tops and four zones, Camilla Moroni of Italy placed fifth with one top and two zones, and Aoyagi Mia of Japan closed in sixth place with three zones. As a light rain started pouring on the venue, Team Japan concluded its domination of the men’s Boulder event. Indeed, after placing eight athletes in the semi-final round, and five in the final, the Japanese national team swept the men’s event podium. Reigning Boulder world champion Fujii Kokoro climbed on the highest step of the podium thanks to a thrilling top on problem number 4, which he secured as time was expiring. Narasaki Tomoa – gold medalist at the opening Boulder World Cup event of the season in Meiringen, Switzerland – won silver with three tops and four zones. The bronze medal went to Ogata Yoshiyuki with three tops and three zones. The one and only non-Japanese finalist – France’s Paul Jenft – concluded in fourth position with two tops and four zones, followed by Narasaki Meichi and Dohi Keita of Japan, respectively in fifth and sixth. The IFSC World Cup Series 2022 will now move to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, where back to back Boulder and Speed events are scheduled from 20 to 22, and 27 to 29 May.

CLIMBING - Int News 08 May, 2022

Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani mountaineers to climb 10 peaks

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD:-SirbazKhan has become the first Pakistani climber to climb 10 of the world’s highest 14 peaks above 8,000 meter after scaling Kanchenjunga 8,586m on Saturday 7th May 2022. According to an official of Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) Karar Haideri, Khan stood at the top the summit (8,586 m) of the world’s third highest peak at 7 am on Saturday with other members of a team led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Mingma G) of Imagine Nepal. Sirbaz Khan became the only Pakistani to summit 10x8000m peaks after he reached the summit of the world's 3rd highest peak this morning Sirbaz, 32, hails from the Aliabad area of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and began his climbing career in 2016. In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,516m in Nepal, without the use of supplementary oxygen. Moreover, he summited the 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat in 2017, 8,611-metre-high K-2 in 2018 and Broad Peak, which has a height of 8,163 metres in 2019. Earlier this year, he climbed the 8,091-metre-high Anapurna mountain, 8,848-metre-high Everest and 8,035-metre-high Gasherbrum II. On four of these expeditions, he had been accompanied by late Mohammad Ali Sadpara. Sirbaz is aiming to become the first Pakistani to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. He plans to climb Makalu this month and G1 this summer. However, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma are not decided yet.

CLIMBING - Int News 06 May, 2022

IFSC World Cup: Indonesia sweeps speed podium on the opening day

Sports Bulletin Report SEOUL (Korea):-An eventful opening day at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Seoul, South Korea, closed with the Indonesian and Polish national anthems resounding in the wonderful Jungnang Sport Climbing Stadium. A trio of talented Indonesian climbers led by Veddriq Leonardo took the top three positions in the men’s Speed event, with Leonardo securing first place thanks to his teammate Kiromal Katibin’s false start in the race for the gold medal. “Obviously I’m super happy, and quite excited as well, because it is the first competition of the season,” commented Leonardo. “I felt very confident throughout the entire final, it feels incredible!” Despite the anticlimactic and disappointing finale, Katibin could console himself with the men’s Speed world record he set during the qualification round, when he stopped the clock at 5.17 seconds – three hundredths of a second quicker than the previous mark, set by Leonardo at last year’s World Cup in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The men’s podium was completed by a third Indonesian climber – Rahmad Adi – who bested Ludovico Fossali of Italy in the small final and won bronze. In the women’s Speed event, Polish Olympian Aleksandra Miroslaw secured the top of the podium at an IFSC World Cup for the sixth time in her career. Miroslaw, a multi-decorated Speed specialist, prevailed over Emma Hunt of the United States of America in the final race, closing with the impressive time of 6.72 seconds. An even more impressive time was set by Miroslaw in the qualification round, where he crushed the world record she set at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – 6.84 – and hit the finish pad at 6.64 seconds. “I am very happy, of course, but it hasn’t been my best final,” Miroslaw said. “I made a lot of mistakes in the first couple of rounds, but the semi-final and the final were pretty good. The mindset was completely different from the qualification, where I set the world record, everyone knows you’re the fastest one and you have to deal with a lot of pressure.” Aleksandra Kalucka – also of Poland – placed third, beating Franziska Ritter of Germany in the race for bronze.

CLIMBING - Int News 06 May, 2022

IFSC World Cup: 210 climbers to participate in the championship

Sports Bulletin Report SEOUL (Korea):-International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup Series 2022 is about to commence in the Olympic city of Seoul, South Korea, where 210 athletes are going to climb their way to the top of the World Cup podium. A total of 74 climbers – 39 men and 35 women – will battle in the opening act of the competition: the men’s and women’s Speed medal events; while 127 are going to compete in Boulder – 62 men and 65 women. World record holders Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia and Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland will both be at the starting blocks, with a field of fierce antagonists that includes USA's John Brosler and Emma Hunt, 2019 IFSC world champion Ludovico Fossali of Italy, and 2021 world champion Natalia Kalucka of Poland. Following Janja Garnbret’s win in Meiringen, Switzerland, and the Slovenian consequent decision to skip the remainder of the Boulder season, USA's Natalia Grossman became the undisputed favourite for the women’s Boulder gold medal. In the men’s event, the Japanese representatives are going to be the ones to beat, once again, led by reigning Boulder world champion Fujii Kokoro, Meiringen 2022 gold medallist Narasaki Tomoa, and six-time World Cup medallist Ogata Yoshiyuki. Climbing in front of a sold-out crowd, the South Korean home team will be headlined by Tokyo 2020 Olympians Chon Jongwon and Seo Chaehyun. Schedule Friday, 6 May (UTC+9:00): 12:15 PM Speed qualifications 8:00 PM Speed finals Saturday, 7 May: 9:00 AM Women's Boulder qualification 3:30 PM Men's Boulder qualification Sunday, 8 May: 11:00 AM Boulder semifinals 5:00 PM Women's Boulder final Followed by Men's Boulder final

CLIMBING - Int News 11 Apr, 2022

FIFTH WORLD CUP GOLD FOR NARASAKI IN MEIRINGEN

Sports Bulletin Report MEIRINGEN:-Following Sport Climbing’s Olympic debut in the Japanese city of Tokyo last summer, this weekend saw the highly anticipated season-opener of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) 2022 World Cup Series in Meiringen, Switzerland. After Slovenian Olympian Janja Garnbret claimed the win in the women’s final of the IFSC Boulder World Cup Meiringen 2022 yesterday evening, today it was Japanese Olympian Narasaki Tomoa’s turn to climb atop the podium in the men’s final. It was a strong start to the final for Narasaki Tomoa of Japan, who flashed – used only one attempt – the first boulder problem in under 60 seconds. However, after failing to secure a top on the subsequent two blocs, the 25-year-old landed in sixth position ahead of the fourth boulder. Swinging through the sequence of the final bloc, the Olympian found himself another top and thus, jumped from the bottom to the top of the scoreboard. With two tops and three zones, two-time Boulder World Champion Narasaki earned the fifth IFSC World Cup gold medal of his career, throwing his arms into the air and cheering to the crowd of the Kletterhalle Haslital. “I feel that the energy of the audience generated my power and finally I could reach the top. That was an amazing moment for me!” said Narasaki. “The target for this season is quite obvious for me – to be a third time overall [Boulder] champion. I found today that the style of Boulder routesetting seems to be more dynamic, so maybe I need to make some adjustments for the coming competitions,” he added. Team Japan also claimed the second position on the podium in the Meiringen men’s final, with Narasaki’s teammate, Ogata Yoshiyuki, taking the silver medal. Clinging to the top of the wall after finding a solution on bloc number four, Ogata concluded the final with two tops and three zones, walking away with his sixth IFSC World Cup medal so far. The 24-year-old ranked second due to using more attempts than his compatriot in first place. Having made his debut on the senior Sport Climbing circuit last year, Mejdi Schalck of France earned his second IFSC World Cup medal this evening. With two tops and three zones, Schalck secured bronze, adding it to the silver medal that the 17-year-old won at the IFSC Boulder World Cup Salt Lake City 2021. The rising-star ranked third due to using more attempts than Narasaki and Ogata, though impressively, was the only athlete to find a top on bloc two – which involved a jump up to a crack formation, before a further dyno to the final overhanging, dual-textured top hold. Also of France, Paul Jenft placed fourth, with Olympian Colin Duffy, of the USA, and current Boulder World Champion Fujii Kokoro, of Japan, ranking fifth and sixth, respectively.

CLIMBING - Int News 10 Apr, 2022

GARNBRET GRABS FIRST GOLD OF 2022 SEASON IN MEIRINGEN

Sports Bulletin Report MEIRINGEN:-The first medals of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) season were awarded in Meiringen, Switzerland, this evening, with Olympic gold medallist Janja Garnbret, of Slovenia, claiming an emotional win in the women’s final of the IFSC Boulder World Cup Meiringen 2022. After flashing three out of four boulders, Slovenian Janja Garnbret bowed to the cheering crowd of the Kletterhalle Haslital, before embracing her fellow finalists. The 23-year-old achieved four tops in five attempts in the season-opener, and perhaps would have flashed all four had it not been for a false-start on the first bloc – of which she was the only athlete to secure a top, clinging to the dual-textured holds which defeated her competitors. Cruising through a burly final boulder, the Olympian earned an impressive 32nd gold World Cup medal of her career to date. “Today’s win was a privilege. It means a lot to me because it’s not obvious that you will win every competition – each competition is a story in itself. Just because you won everything last year doesn’t mean that you can next year, so every win means a lot to me. That’s why I was so emotional!” said Garnbret. “I’ve decided to skip the [rest of the] Boulder season this year. The Olympics last year were a pretty hard take on physical and mental preparation, so I feel that I need a little time off from comps and this year is the perfect year to do that. I already have [the Olympic Games in] Paris in mind!” she added. Having taken the 2021 World Cup season by storm with a remarkable eight podiums, reigning Boulder World Champion Natalia Grossman, of the USA, took the silver medal in Meiringen this evening. Hot on Garnbret’s heels, the 20-year-old American completed the competition with three tops and four zones, proving her prowess by flashing the final two boulder problems with a grin from ear to ear. Much to the delight of her home crowd, Switzerland’s Andrea Kümin climbed onto the podium in third position, beaming after bagging the first World Cup medal of her career. The 24-year-old concluded the opening competition of the season with one top and two zones. France’s Oriane Bertone – who claimed silver at the IFSC Boulder World Cup Meiringen 2021 – Japan’s Ito Futaba, and Serbia’s Stasa Gejo finished the women’s final in fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. The evening also saw medals awarded to the top-ranked female athletes of the 2021 IFSC Boulder season. Natalia Grossman took the top ranking and thus, first place on the podium with 345 points, followed by Janja Garnbret with 280 points, and Oriane Bertone with 235 points. The full 2021 women’s Boulder World Cup ranking can be viewed here.

CLIMBING - Int News 06 Apr, 2022

IFSC decides to include Speed Events in World Cup

Sports Bulletin Report TORINO:-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and USA Climbing have agreed to add Speed events to the schedule of the IFSC World Cup taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, from 20 to 22 May. Along with the IFSC Boulder World Cup in Brixen, Italy, the additional Speed events added in Salt Lake City now fully compensate for the cancellation of the IFSC World Cup in Moscow, Russia. The programme for the first weekend of World Cup competition in Salt Lake City will now replicate the one for the second World Cup – taking place from 27 to 29 May – with both men’s and women’s Speed events being contested on Friday, and the two Boulder events spread across the weekend. Speed finals Saturday, 21 May: 9:00 AM Women’s Boulder qualification 3:30 PM Men’s Boulder qualification Sunday, 22 May: 11:00 AM Boulder semi-finals 6:00 PM Boulder finals