Everything You Need to Know about Climbing in the Paris Summer Games

Are you as excited as we are to watch the Sport Climbing events in this Summer’s Games? This is the second time Sport Climbing is part of the Games since its debut in the Tokyo Games. Read on to learn more!

What is Sport Climbing?

Sport climbing is the official term for climbing in the Summer Games. It includes three climbing disciplines: Bouldering, Lead Climbing and Speed Climbing. There are two events for each gender: Combined (Bouldering and Lead) and Speed.

What are the Three Climbing Disciplines?

Sport Climbing has three formats: Bouldering, Lead Climbing and Speed Climbing.

Bouldering will take place on 14.5-foot-high walls where no ropes are used. Athletes take turns attempting to climb as many routes, or “bouldering problems,” as possible in a limited period of time.

In lead climbing, the climber will have six minutes to climb as high as possible on a 49-foot-high climbing wall, using a safety rope and quickdraws on the way up to protect against a fall. If the competing climbers reach the same spot on the wall, whoever gets there the fastest will win. Climbers will not get to see the wall in advance or watch others climb. They will only have a couple of minutes before the competition to study the routes and determine a strategy.

Speed climbing is self-explanatory. It involves two climbers racing against each other to get to the top of a 49-foot-high climbing wall set at an angle of 95 degrees. Their routes are identical, and each climber is connected to an autobelay system for safety. The first one to get to the top is the winner.

How Will Scores Be Calculated and How Many Medals Events Will There Be?

The format of the Paris games is different from the Tokyo Games. In Tokyo, each athlete competed in all three disciplines and the combined results of the three competitions made up their score. In Paris, Speed Climbing is its own discipline and Bouldering and Lead is combined, so this year there's a total of four medal events, compared to two events in Tokyo. More details on scoring can be found here.

How Many Athletes are Competing in Sport Climbing?

There are a total of 68 climbers competing – 20 men and 20 women in the Combined event and 14 men and 14 women in the Speed event. Each country can qualify a maximum of two men and two women for each event.

What Climbers will represent Team USA?

Men's speed: Sam Watson and Zachary Hammer
Men's bouldering and lead combined: Colin Duffy and Jesse Grupper
Women's speed: Emma Hunt and Piper Kelly
Women's bouldering and lead combined: Natalia Grossman and Brooke Raboutou

When Are the Sport Climbing Events?

The Sport Climbing Events begin on Sunday, August 4 and end on Saturday, August 10. Click here to access the complete schedule of Sport Climbing events. Keep in mind that Paris is 7 hours ahead of our headquarters in Minnesota (Central time).

How Can I watch the Paris Summer Games?

NBCUniversal has the broadcast rights to the games. They will broadcast on NBC TV and stream on Peacock. Coverage is also available on nbcolympics.com, nbc.com and the NBC/NBC Sports apps.

Where is the Sport Climbing Event Taking Place?

The Sport Climbing events are taking place at Le Bourget Climbing Venue which was built specifically for the Paris Games and includes five climbing walls. There’s an indoor wall for warming up and four outdoor walls. Of the outdoor walls, three are for the competition events and one is just for warming up. The indoor climbing wall will remain in the city of Le Bourget after the Games and be available for use by clubs, associations and residents.

Fun Facts About the Paris Games

The official mascot is a hat, based on Phrygian hats worn by French revolutionaries.
Each of the medals will be infused with iron from the original Eiffel Tower.
The last time Paris hosted was in 1924 when there were only 22 sports compared to 32 this time.
“Breaking” is debuting in the Paris games. If you are not sure what that is, it’s breakdancing! The competition is a dance-off with the athletes going up against each other one-on-one. Dancers take turns performing their moves in a “throw down” which lasts about a minute and showcases a combination of acrobatic moves, fancy footwork and stylized improvisation. Athletes do not get to choose the music; a DJ is in charge of the music and dancers must adapt what they do to the music.
French fries (a.k.a. pommes frites) will not be served due the fire hazard of using deep friers in a densely populated area.