When did climbing become an Olympic sport?
Climbing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Before that, the sport gained Olympic attention at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games in 2018.
The inclusion of climbing, along with skateboarding and surfing, was part of an initiative to diversify the Olympic program by adding more urban sports aimed at attracting younger audiences. Sport climbing will continue to be featured in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.
How does Olympic climbing work?
Olympic sport climbing consists of three disciplines: bouldering, lead, and speed.
- Bouldering: Athletes climb a 4.5-meter wall (nearly 15 feet) without ropes, aiming to reach the top in the fewest attempts within a limited time.
- Lead: Climbers attempt to ascend as high as possible on a 15-meter wall (nearly 50 feet) within six minutes, using a single attempt.
- Speed: In one-on-one elimination rounds, climbers race against the clock to scale a 15-meter wall with a five-degree incline. The best male climbers complete the climb in under six seconds, while top female climbers typically finish in under seven seconds.
A significant change from the Tokyo Games is the separation of speed climbing into its own event, while bouldering and lead remain combined. This allows climbers to specialize in their preferred disciplines.
The scoring system has also been revised. In Tokyo, scores from each discipline were multiplied to get the final score. Now, with speed climbing as a separate event, bouldering and lead have a combined maximum score of 200 points. In bouldering, climbers earn points by advancing through various “zones” (5 points for the low zone, 10 points for the high zone) and reaching the top hold (25 points). Points are deducted for additional attempts, with a perfect round of flashing four problems worth 100 points.
In lead, climbers score points by successfully holding each of the top 40 holds, with points increasing as they ascend. If a climber moves toward a hold but fails to secure it, they receive 0.1 points in addition to their previous score.
Twenty men and 20 women compete in bouldering/lead.
In the speed discipline, there are 14 competitors for both men and women. Each climber completes two speed runs on different walls. They are ranked 1-14 based on their fastest time, which determines the matchups for the subsequent elimination rounds.
