Paris 2024 will be the second Olympic Games with sport climbing on the program. Unlike the debut in Tokyo, this year speed and bouldering & lead will be considered as separate disciplines. In this article, we will present the competition format in detail.
The news about the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is presented by Mammut and Unparallel
When sport climbing first appeared on the Olympic stage in Tokyo, the triple scoring system of bouldering, lead and speed was still in place. This challenged many athletes - to say the least - and led to slightly distorted results.
To the Olympic Games in Paris This will no longer be the case in 2024. Speed ​​will be considered a separate discipline, as will the combination format of bouldering and lead. Today we will take a closer look at the two competition formats.
Schedule of climbing competitions Olympic Games Paris
- Monday, 5th August 2024
10:00 – 14:00 Bouldering & Lead Semi-finals Bouldering Men, Speed ​​Qualification Women - Tuesday, 6th August 2024
10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. Bouldering & Lead Semifinals Bouldering Women, Speed ​​Qualification Men - Wednesday, 7th August 2024
10:00 to 13:15 Bouldering & Lead Semifinal Lead Men, Speed ​​Final Women - Thursday, 8th August 2024
10:00 to 13:15 Bouldering & Lead Semifinals Women, Speed ​​Finals Men - Friday, 9th August 2024
10:15 to 13:30 Bouldering & Lead Final Men - Saturday, 10th August 2024
10:15 to 13:30 Bouldering & Lead Final Women
Competition format Bouldering & Lead
bouldering
The boulder semifinals take place on the first two days of the competition. Here, the 20 qualified athletes have to solve four boulder problems. The time limit per boulder is five minutes, and the number of attempts is not limited.
The aim is to reach the top in as few attempts as possible. Each bouldering problem has three specific holds defined, which award points as long as they can be held in a controlled manner: Lower zone 5 points, upper zone 10 points, top hold 25 points.
The points are not added together. The maximum number of points per boulder is 25 and the total of the four boulders is 100. For each additional attempt per boulder, 0,1 points are deducted.
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Lead
The lead semifinals take place after the boulder semifinals. The 20 athletes each have 6 minutes to climb as high as possible on the lead route and, in the best case, reach the top.
The lead route is divided into four sections. Each hold on the route is assigned points. The number of points increases with each section of the route. The top 10 holds are worth 4 points each. The 10 holds below are worth 3 points, the next 10 are worth 2 points each and the 10 before that are worth one point each. The holds (in the starting area) before the last 40 holds are not counted. The maximum number of points when reaching the top is 100.
The final points from the boulder semi-final and the lead semi-final then determine the ranking for the combination format boulder & lead.
Boulders & Leads
In the combination format, which takes place on the last two days of the competition, there is a bouldering and a lead competition on the same day. The competition format works as follows:
In bouldering, there are again 4 boulders to be mastered. Points are awarded in the same way as in the semi-finals. In the final, the 8 athletes only have 4 minutes per boulder (instead of 5 in the semi-finals). At the start of the competition, there is a joint 8-minute inspection of the four final boulders.
After a short break, the finalists go to the lead wall. Climbing is done according to the same points criteria as in the semi-finals. After the competition is over, the points from the bouldering and lead finals are added together. The person with the most points combined is the Olympic champion.
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Competition format Speed
The climbing takes place on a 15-meter-high wall with an overhang of 5 degrees with two identical and standardized routes. In the first round, all 14 athletes, male and female, climb both routes against the clock. A ranking is then created from this, with the faster of the two times being included in the ranking.
In the so-called Elimination Head, two climbers compete against each other in a knockout system. The fastest against the slowest, the second fastest against the second slowest and so on. The winners of the seven duels qualify directly for the final phase of the competition. Eighth place goes to the loser in the duel with the fastest time.
According to the qualification ranking, the fastest eight then compete against each other in a head-to-head duel and contest the quarter-finals, semi-finals, small final (for the bronze medal) and final.
Content partner Olympic Games 2024 in Paris
The coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is presented by Mammut:
Mammoth is a Swiss outdoor company founded in 1862 that offers mountain sports fans all over the world high-quality products and unique brand experiences. For 160 years, the world's leading premium brand has stood for safety and groundbreaking innovation. Mammut products combine functionality and performance with contemporary design. With the combination of hardware, shoes and clothing, Mammut is one of the most complete providers in the outdoor market. Mammut Sports Group AG operates in around 40 countries and employs around 850 people.
Maximum grip, sophisticated designs and «hand-made in California»: The brand unparallel not only impresses with years of experience in the production of climbing shoes, but also relies on a sustainable philosophy - as well as on a selection of specially developed rubber compounds that are processed exclusively by long-standing, local partners.
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Credits: Cover picture Lena Drapella | IFSC