With American Sam Watson setting a sport climbing world record at the 2024 Paris Olympics, US sports fans want to learn more about the event. What makes things a bit confusing is that the rules for sport climbing changed between the last Olympics and now, which means even those who were already fans are wondering what’s going on. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to break down what happens in the relatively new event.
What is Sport Climbing, and how does it work at the Olympics?
Sport climbing was introduced at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as a single event with three segments. These segments tested athletes across three specialties:
- Bouldering: Climbing challenging routes over short distances without a rope.
- Lead Climbing: Climbing from point to point and clipping a rope to protection points along the way.
- Speed Climbing: Climbing a route as quickly as possible.
However, there was some controversy about how the event was handled at the Tokyo Olympics. Many climbers specialize in one form of climbing, so requiring them to participate in an event that combined three different ones didn’t allow them to showcase their talent properly.
In response to the criticism, according to the official website, the 2024 Paris Olympics split the event into two categories:
- Sport Climbing Combined has competitors participating in the bouldering and lead events.
- Speed Sport Climbing will only feature the speed portion of the event.
This change has been widely welcomed by athletes and fans alike, as it allows for more specialized competition and better showcases the unique skills required for each discipline. The Sport Climbing Combined event now focuses on the technical and strategic aspects of climbing, while the Speed Sport Climbing event highlights pure athleticism and quick thinking. With these changes, the Olympics have created a more accurate representation of the realities of climbing, giving competitors a chance to truly shine in their areas of expertise.
