Topline
Climbers made their Olympic debut Tuesday as the event, one of four new sports at the Tokyo 2020 Games this year, featured a controversial format combining three usually separate disciplines.
Key Facts
Sport climbing is one of four new sports to debut at the Tokyo Olympics this year, alongside skateboarding, surfing and karate.
The first men’s events took place Tuesday and the women’s competition will kick off Wednesday.
A total of 40 climbers, evenly split across men’s and women’s events, will compete in the sport which combines speed, bouldering and lead climbing disciplines.
The decision to combine three typically disparate disciplines has stoked controversy among athletes, especially given the highly specialized nature of other Olympic events and the different skill sets required in each.
Officials said the hybrid event was necessitated by the International Olympic Committee only allocating one set of medals to the contest and a desire not to exclude one set of the sport.
In the Paris 2024 Games, speed climbing will be spun out as a separate event with its own set of medals.
Key Background
Speed climbing is an all out sprint up a 15 meter wall. Two climbers compete side by side on identical routes and the winner advances to the next round. In lead climbing, athletes have six minutes to get as high up on a 15 meter wall as possible. Bouldering, which unlike the other two disciplines does not use safety ropes, requires athletes to complete the highest number of routes on a 4.5 meter wall in four minutes. The overall score is worked out by multiplying the athlete’s placement in each discipline, with the lowest overall score winning.
Further Reading
2021 Summer Olympics: What you need to know about the new discipline called sport climbing (USA Today)
See Skateboarders And Surfers Make Their Olympic Debut In Tokyo (Photos) (Forbes)
