What was already an issue in the run-up to this year's event is now definitive: the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Meiringen in April 2022 was the last in this form. These are the reasons.
International climbing spectacle at the highest level and a great atmosphere - anyone who wanted to experience the world's best athletes up close was in the bouldering arena in April Meiringen at the right address. Since 2016, the Haslital Mountain Festival has organized the start of the World Cup season for sport climbers, and every year several thousand enthusiastic spectators make the pilgrimage to the Bernese Oberland. But that is over now.
Should sport climbing become an urban sport?
"We put all our energy into the event, had a sold-out hall, happy athletes and a fantastic atmosphere," says OC President Niklaus Kohler. With his OC colleagues, Kohler wanted to continue holding the Sport Climbing World Cup in Meiringen and develop it into an event classic. However, this is subject to the condition of a multi-year, contractually secured cooperation with the International Sport Climbing Federation (IFSC). According to Kohler, the IFSC was unfortunately not ready for this.
At Lacrux's request, the IFSC writes: "The decision was made together with the Swiss Alpine Club SAC, with whom we have a long-standing and good partnership. It was the SAC with whom we signed the contracts.»
The IFSC sees sport climbing primarily as an urban sport and wants future World Cup events to take place in the big cities if possible.
The IFSC sees sport climbing primarily as an urban sport and wants World Cup events to take place in the big cities in the future, writes the organizer Haslital Mountain Festival in its press release. The statement that the IFSC sees sport climbing as an urban sport does not leave the IFSC in its reply to our magazine. «At the November 2020 General Assembly, the Strategic Plan 2020-2028 was unanimously approved. The document, which is publicly available, never mentions 'urban'."
But it's a bit in the direction of the city. Regarding the intention to move events to larger cities in the future, the IFSC refers to the main goal no. 1 of the mentioned strategic plan: “Sport climbing competitions are our core business. The IFSC has set itself the goal of raising the standards for conducting World Cups, World Championships and all future IFSC events in terms of competition level, facilities and event operation for the benefit of all parties involved.»
The IFSC has set itself the goal of raising the standards of its events for the benefit of everyone involved.»
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Credits: Cover picture Haslital Mountain Festival
That's rubbish…
The IFSC has never had anything to do with what climbing is, hopefully, still important to most people today.. It's a shame, but it's also due to the commercialization..
In climbing, we can now follow live how a sport is moving from being a fringe sport to becoming a mass sport. At the same time, the competitive sports division established itself and became more and more specialized and commercialized. With all the discussions on broadcasting rights and venues shown. The sport or the competitive sport, which it should actually be about, is subject to commerce.
Anyone who complains of this misjudges reality. If you want climbing as an Olympic sport, you have to accept it.
If it were possible to hold ski races entirely indoors, this sport would fare exactly the same.