Competition climbing

Competition climbing is a fun and exciting sport where people climb special walls that are made just for climbing. These walls are not real rocks, but they look and feel like them, and they are built inside buildings so climbers can practice and compete safely. There are three main types of competition climbing: lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing.

In lead climbing, climbers start at the bottom and try to reach the top of the wall as fast as they can, using ropes for safety. In bouldering, climbers solve short climbing problems without ropes, trying to finish as many as possible. Speed climbing is a race where two climbers climb the same wall at the same time, trying to be the fastest.

The sport is governed by an organization called World Climbing, which holds big events like the World Climbing Championship and the World Climbing Series. Climbing became an Olympic sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics, and it returned in the 2024 Olympics with different climbing styles included.

History

See also: History of rock climbing

Competition climbing began in the mid-1980s with the start of sport climbing. This type of climbing uses special routes with built-in safety bolts, so climbers can focus on climbing without worrying about safety. At first, some climbers were unsure about competing this way. But in 1985, the first big international competition was held outdoors.

Later, competitions moved indoors to special walls. In 2020, climbing was added to the Summer Olympics, and in 2021, the first Olympic gold medals were won in climbing. After that, the 2024 Paris Olympics planned different climbing events.

Disciplines

See also: Lead climbing, Bouldering, Speed climbing

In competition lead climbing, climbers have 6 minutes to climb a 15-metre wall with special holds. They must clip their safety rope into quickdraws as they climb, and they get one try to reach as high as possible. Their score is based on the highest hold they reach before falling.

In competition bouldering, climbers solve short, tricky routes without ropes, using crash pads for safety. They have a set time to complete each route, and they can try multiple times. Scores are based on how many routes they complete and how few tries it takes.

In competition speed climbing, climbers race up a wall with the same holds in the same spots. They use a top rope for safety and race against the clock. In qualifying, they race twice, and the fastest times move on to compete head-to-head.

Over the years, combined formats have mixed these disciplines. From 2017 to 2021, all three were combined. For the 2024 Olympics, bouldering and lead climbing are combined, while speed climbing is separate. Scores from each discipline are added up to determine the winner.

Notable competitions

See also: Category:Climbing competitions

World Climbing

The biggest climbing competitions are run by World Climbing, which used to be called the IFSC. These include the World Climbing Championship, held every two years, where climbers compete in lead climbing, bouldering, speed climbing, and a combined event. There is also the World Climbing Series, an annual competition with events worldwide, where winners are decided based on overall performance across all events in these disciplines.

Olympics

Climbing became an Olympic sport for the first time in the 2020 Olympics. At first, it combined lead, boulder, and speed climbing into one event, but this caused many debates among climbers. By the 2024 Olympics, boulder-and-lead combined and speed climbing were held as separate events. On 3 February 2022, it was announced that climbing would become a core part of the Summer Olympics starting with the 2028 Olympics.

Notable competition climbers

Main article: Ranking of career IFSC victories by climber

Some of the most successful competition climbers include Jakob Schubert, Janja Garnbret, Adam Ondra, Angela Eiter, François Legrand, and Kilian Fischhuber.

As of 2025, Jakob Schubert is considered the most successful male competition climber, with Adam Ondra and François Legrand also ranking highly. Janja Garnbret is the most successful female competition climber, with Sandrine Levet and Angela Eiter also among the top performers. Garnbret stands out as the most dominant climber of all time, whether male or female.

In film

The Wall: Climb for Gold is a documentary film from 2022 about famous climbers Janja Garnbret, Shauna Coxsey, Brooke Raboutou, and Miho Nonaka. The film shows their journey and experiences in competition climbing.