There is movement in the Swiss competition scene. On the 26. August 2017 is the founding meeting of the Swiss Sport Climbing Association (SSV). The aim of the new association is to represent and promote the various sports climbing groups in Switzerland. This is actually the domain of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC).
Anyone who wants to climb ambitious today and train for it, often joins a regional training center and thus the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC). The area Swiss Climbing des SAC supports and promotes young sport climbing athletes. Precisely this area of the SAC has been criticized for a long time (LACRUX reported on the Criticism of the SAC).
Independent organization for the promotion of sport climbing
Now a group reacts to this criticism and founds an independent association: the Swiss sport climbing association SSV. The SSV is aimed at regional centers, individual athletes, coaches, free training groups (outside the SAC) and the climbing gyms. According to SSV, the focus is on the promotion of sport climbing in Switzerland, with particular reference to competition climbing.
This is how the Swiss Sport Climbing Association positions itself
In a letter to LACRUX, the SSV defines its position as follows:
- As an independent and independent organization, the SSV recognizes the past merits of the SAC, but believes that an independent stakeholder representation must be involved in the discussion.
- With the SAC, a trusting and partnership-based cooperation is sought.
- The Swiss sports climbing scene should come together and free the sport from obstacles that have arisen due to lack of understanding, lack of communication, opacity of decisions and loss of confidence.
- The SSV stands over any competition between regional centers, individual athletes, coaches, free training groups, climbing gyms, the SAC and wants to act as mediating wherever possible.
- The SSV wants to promote networking among all sports climbers, especially those who are involved in the national team, the regional centers and in the free training groups.
SSV wants to support itself broadly
The SSV is organized as a club. The Presidium will be taken over by Paul Langenkamp, the Vice Presidium Anouk Piola and Marino Bucher. In writing to LACRUX, SSV emphasizes that it aims to represent the various language groups, regional centers, athletes, free training groups and climbing gyms on the board.
Founding meeting at the 26. August 2017
The inaugural meeting of the Swiss sports climbing association SSV takes place on the occasion of the Youth Climbing Cup in Näfels, on the 26. August 2017 at 13.30 pm, instead. We are curious to see how the situation in the field of competition develops. In other countries too, there were successful demerits from the traditional Alpine associations. Is this happening in Switzerland?
It is really time that a little movement in the matter comes.
Sport climbing and mountaineering have very little in common,
although both could safely learn from each other.
The traditional alpine clubs are like any other big organization above all else
one: steward and thus prevention of any progress.
A young dynamic scene that requires sport climbing
simply other more modern structures.