[Hoseyb]

Looks like climbing is up against some really tough opposition for the single place. Out of interest is there likely to be a trial of the climbing triathlon format in the UK in the near future?

If we do get in the games then the format will be finalised by the IFSC then I am sure you will see events organised with the new format. Currently thoug there is only Ratho has a speed wall although DavieD is supposed to be putting one in his Sheffield wall.

THe Beacon as a wall built to spec for speed climbing (15 odd m 15 degrees over, grid t nuttage and beams for the TR anchors) but its yet to be used for any official comps yet, just a but of 5+ fun to raise money for the rescue team.

[Stubbs]

Cheers. I'm sure it will make for rivetting viewing for experienced climbers!

it is pretty nuts...

[r-man]

Have to say, for spectators its probably the most interesting form of climbing comp so its probably been put in as a sop to the tele.

Not sure about that. Watched the world championships on my parent's TV (HDMI cable from laptop), and they found the speed comps boring, but watched the bouldering for a whopping 30min before wandering off.

[ianv]

For the general public though, it would just be like watching the sprinting. Where as onsight comps (and bouldering) are fairly dull for the uninitiated.

[r-man]

My parents are non climbers, or there wouldn't have been any point in my post! And another anecdote - I watched a British round of the bouldering world cup in Birmingham some years ago. It was free to watch for anyone at the outdoor show. A couple of middle aged ladies took seats behind me. As they settled down, I heard:
"So what is this bouldering then?"
"I think it's like glorified scrambling."
20min later, as Mark Croxall began to make his bid for victory, they were cheering at the top of their voices.

[rich d]

I'm sure that speed climbing is impressive, but it really doesn't look watchable. Can't imagine that being a good spectator sport after he initial - fuck they're fast.

[c3po]

I must be pretty sad coz I thought that was mint!

[SA Chris]

it is pretty nuts...

Yeah I watched a couple. To me personally it feels like a party piece.

[shark]

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/everest-60th-anniversary--a-lucky-sign-for-climbings-olympic-bid

In a mountainous coincidence, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to announce the final shortlist of sports vying for a place at the 2020 Olympic Games on the same day as the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest.

Just three weeks away, 29 May 2013 will be a crucial day for climbing's Olympic bid and could be another historic milestone in climbing's history. The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is the force behind the bid to get climbing into the Olympics and the BMC is backing the bid.

On that day, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) will present the case for climbing to the IOC Executive Board in St Petersburg, Russia. After hearing from all eight bidding sports, the board will recommend three sports to go through to the final vote at the IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September.
 
There have been connections between climbing and the Olympics for many years. Gold medals from the 1924 Winter Olympics were awarded to members of the British 1922 Everest expedition for the tremendous efforts which brought them within 500 metres of the summit. This was some 30 years before the 1953 British Everest expedition went on to make history with the first successful ascent of the world’s highest mountain.
 
In 2012, British mountaineer Kenton Cool took one of the 1924 Olympic medals to the summit of Everest to fulfil a pledge by one of the Everest pioneers - the 1922 expedition deputy leader, Lt Col Edward Strutt.
 
Kenton Cool said: “In 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin reconstituted the modern Olympic movement and made a deliberate choice to include our sport of climbing. He felt so strongly about climbing’s inclusion that in 1924 he personally awarded the first ever Olympic Gold Medals for Mountaineering, and in 2012 I fulfilled the subsequent promise made by Great Britain to Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the IOC to place one of the 1924 Mountaineering Olympic Gold Medals onto the summit of the world’s highest mountain 'for all humanity'.
 
"Climbing is the very essence of everything Baron Pierre de Coubertin meant when he wrote the Olympic motto of ‘higher, faster, stronger’, and it was there on the very first day of the modern Olympics.
 
"The 29th May, 2013 will be a momentous day for climbing. It is the 60th anniversary of the first successful summit of Mount Everest and it is the date the IFSC will present their case to the IOC. I’m backing the bid.”
 
Climbing as we’d see it in the 2020 Olympics would be very different to climbing Everest as competition climbing takes place on man-made walls. The IFSC is proposing a multi-discipline event which includes speed, lead climbing and bouldering.  This fits perfectly with the Olympic motto Faster (speed); Higher (lead); Stronger (bouldering).
 
You can support the bid:

Like the Facebook page
Remember to use the Twitter hash tag #climbing2020
Look out for a BMC petition to sign at your local climbing wall.
Vote for climbing in the polls at Sportconnect Olympics 2020 and  Inside the Games

(My bold)

[Jaspersharpe]

KENTON COOL!!!!

[Pantontino]

My parents are non climbers, or there wouldn't have been any point in my post! And another anecdote - I watched a British round of the bouldering world cup in Birmingham some years ago. It was free to watch for anyone at the outdoor show. A couple of middle aged ladies took seats behind me. As they settled down, I heard:
"So what is this bouldering then?"
"I think it's like glorified scrambling."
20min later, as Mark Croxall began to make his bid for victory, they were cheering at the top of their voices.

I was working on a stand at that show and managed to get away to see that very same bouldering comp - I thought it was absolutely electrifying, but I'm not sure if I was just relieved to have a break from saying the same thing about the same things to different people...endlessly.

Speed comps are fun to watch the first time but I can't help wondering how the competitors cope with the boredom of redpointing exactly the same route, endlessly (a bit like my sales spiel). I suppose it is, as somebody else said, just like any athletics race. Still pretty wierd.

[Pantontino]

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/everest-60th-anniversary--a-lucky-sign-for-climbings-olympic-bid

In a mountainous coincidence, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is set to announce the final shortlist of sports vying for a place at the 2020 Olympic Games on the same day as the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest.

Never mind the issue in hand, that is a very amusing press release - I hear the clanking of a dropped crow bar... 

[petejh]

You famously took an Olympic gold medal up Everest last year. What have you got planned for this year?
The Olympic gold medal last year was a great project to be involved with and its hard to think how we can top it. That said I do have a sneaky project in mind which will be pretty cool if we manage to pull if off....all I can say is watch this space and keep fingers crossed. (i think we've just found out what that is Kenton!)

   It's so obviously a summit boxing re-match between Kenton and a member of the euro-bashing Sherpa death-mob. Streamed live with expert commentary by Rich Simpson.

Eee-aww.

[Jaspersharpe]

SHAMELESS BUT APPROPRIATE REPOST ALERT.....

Kenton's medal:

[SA Chris]

http://www.insidethegames.biz/polls/71-which-sport-do-you-think-the-ioc-should-vote-to-include-on-the-olympic-programme-for-2020

Ahead of wakeborading and wushu in the polls anyway.

[gme]

only just over a thousand votes, pretty poor really.

Cant see it getting in honestly and i am not surprised as even though i enjoy watching them and am interested in the results if i had a choice i would watch a lot of other sports first as they are a bit weird and boring. The last bouldering WC was like watching paint dry. (sorry Percy and Graeme) If you were not an avid climber i think it would just not compute.

[mr__j5]

No joy this time around:


http://www.olympic.org/news/baseball-softball-squash-and-wrestling-make-cut-for-ioc-session-vote-in-buenos-aires/199833

[GraemeA]

Well wrestling is back in, anyone surprised?

[SA Chris]

Not really. Traditional olympic sport isn't it? Not even sure why it dropped out.

[gme]

I think our of all of them it is the one most suited to the Olympics and was one of the original sports involved.

Much better than half the shit that's in there now such as golf, football and tennis which have no right at all of being Olympic sports. Golf is the biggest joke of them all, love golf and like watching the majors but the Olympics FFS.

Would have been good for climbing due to increase in funding but can see why it didn't get in. Keep trying though.

[Moo]

Are there any plans for future bids with climbing?

[GraemeA]

Are there any plans for future bids with climbing?

Probably, I guess I will find out at an IFSC meeting in December. But remember that one sport has to be booted for another sport to get in. Not sure what effect the IOC having a new President will have.