Sport Climbing takes the challenge of scaling steep ascents to a whole new level. Using a range of hand and foot holds of different shapes and sizes, climbers put their skills and strength into practice on a vertical wall. The wall may feature varying angles of either positive (slab) or negative (steep, overhanging) sections.

Sport Climbing debuted on the Olympic stage for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. It is the sole purely vertical sport on the programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. At Tokyo, athletes competed in a combined event of all three disciplines (Lead, Boulder, and Speed) for one medal per gender. Sport Climbing has officially been included in the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In Lead, athletes use analytical skills and strategy to read the route and anticipate the sequences of movements. Endurance, techniques, and advance planning are essential skills to complete the climb, and the athlete who reaches the highest point (hold number) wins.

In Lead, athletes aim to climb as high as possible within a given amount of time. Athletes are ranked based on their progression on the route.

- All 12 athletes participate in the Qualification round.

- After the completion of Qualification, the top eight (8) best-ranked athletes from the ranking will proceed to the Final round.

- After the completion of the Final, the top three (3) best-ranked athletes from the ranking will win the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals.

In Lead and Boulder, the athletes are kept away from the Field of Play, in order to preserve the confidentiality of the routes/boulders and prevent athletes from gaining advantages from watching other competitors climbing. Prior to their turn to compete, the athletes stay in the Isolation Zone, where warm-up walls and related facilities are provided.

Before the competition begins, the athletes are given a specified time period to preview and examine the routes/boulders. This is called “Observation.” However, the climbers are not permitted to practice the routes/boulders during this time.

In the Qualification and Final in Lead, the athletes can preview the route during a collective observation time of six (6) minutes, but they cannot attempt to practice.

The athlete is deemed to have started when every part of the body has left the ground, once this has occurred, the clock will start. Athletes use a rope and ascend the route while clipping their rope to the quickdraws known as the protection points placed on the wall. Athletes have a specified amount of time of six (6) minutes for their attempt to climb.

When the climber falls, the highest hold number attained is recorded. When the climbers attach the rope to the last quickdraw (TOP), they are deemed to have completed the route. 

The Lead ranking is set based on the height (hold number) achieved by the athletes. When the climber falls, the highest hold number attained is recorded. There are no re-attempts.

Athletes get “+” added to their score if moving in the direction of the next hold, prior to falling off the wall. If two or more athletes are tied by reaching the same height (hold number), the climbing time is used to break the ties.

When the climbers attach the rope to the last quickdraw (TOP), they are deemed to have completed the route.

Information on penalties can be found here.

Single Men

1. Keiichiro KORENAGA (JPN)
2. Yuki HADA (JPN)
3. Sean McCOLL (CAN)

Single Women

1. Anak VERHOEVEN (BEL)
2. Janja GARNBRET (SLO)
3. Julia Florence CHANOURDIE (FRA)

Single Men

1. Ramon JULIAN PUIGBLANQUE (ESP)
2. Jakob SCHUBERT (AUT)
3. Magnus MIDTBOE (NOR)

Single Women

1. Mina MARKOVIC (SLO)
2. Jain KIM (KOR)
3. Dinara FAKHRITDINOVA (RUS)

Single Men

1. Sachi AMMA (JPN)
2. Patxi USOBIAGA (ESP)
3. Romain DESGRANGES (FRA)

Single Women

1. Maja VIDMAR (SLO)
2. Jain KIM (KOR)
3. Caroline CIAVALDINI (FRA)

Single Men

1. Patxi USOBIAGA (ESP)
2. Tomas MRAZEK (CZE)

Single Women

1. Angela EITER (AUT)
2. Natalija GROS (SLO)
3. Marietta UHDEN (GER)

• Tomoa NARASAKI(JPN): 5. in TWG2017
• Jessica PILZ(AUT): 5. in TWG2017

Sport Climbing takes the challenge of scaling steep ascents to a whole new level. Using a range of hand and foot holds of different shapes and sizes, climbers put their skills and strength into practice on a vertical wall. The wall may feature varying angles of either positive (slab) or negative (steep, overhanging) sections.

Sport Climbing debuted on the Olympic stage for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018.  It is the sole purely vertical sport on the programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. At Tokyo, athletes competed in a combined event of all three disciplines (Lead, Boulder, and Speed) for one medal per gender. Sport Climbing has been officially included in the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The boulders present a range of challenges and styles on different angles of the wall, requiring decisiveness and problem-solving skills along with physical and mental strength. The athletes plan each move carefully with a constant awareness of the time limit.

The aim of Boulder is to solve (complete) as many numbers of boulders (i.e., short routes often referred as “problems”) in the lowest number of attempts within a given period of time.

- All 12 athletes participate in the Qualification round.

- After the completion of Qualification, the top six (6) best-ranked athletes from the ranking will proceed to the Final round.

- After the completion of the Final, the top three (3) best-ranked athletes from the ranking will win the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

In Lead and Boulder, the athletes are kept away from the Field of Play, in order to preserve the confidentiality of the routes/boulders and prevent athletes gaining advantages from watching other competitors climbing. Prior to their turn to compete, the athletes stay in the Isolation Zone, where warm-up walls and related facilities are provided in order to prevent them to see other athletes climbing the boulders.

In Qualifications, there is no observation period and the climbers try the boulders for the first time during their initial attempt. Athletes have five (5) minutes for their attempt on each boulder. 

In Finals, the climbers are given a specified time period of two (2) minutes to preview and examine the routes/boulders. The athletes are, however, not permitted to practice during this time.  Athletes have four (4) minutes for their attempt on each boulder.

If they fall during their initial attempt, they can try again as many times as they wish within the time limit.

When the climber grabs the TOP hold at the top of the boulder with both hands, they have completed it.

The Boulder ranking is based on: 1. Number of tops reached, 2. Number of zone holds reached 3. Number of attempts to top, 4. Number of attempts to zone.

The athlete who solves the most boulders wins.

The Boulder ranking is decided by:

a. Number of tops reached;

b. Number of zones reached;

c. Number of attempts to tops;

d. Number of attempts to zones.

Information on penalties can be found here.

Single Men

1. Yoshiyuki OGATA (JPN)
2. Jan HOJER (GER)
3. Alexey RUBTSOV (RUS)

Single Women

1. Stasa GEJO (SRB)
2. Miho NONAKA (JPN)
3. Fanny GIBERT (FRA)

• Miho NONAKA(JPN): 2. in TWG2017
• Kokoro FUJII(JPN): 7. in TWG2017
• Yoshiyuki OGATA(JPN): 1. in TWG2017

Sport Climbing takes the challenge of scaling steep ascents to a whole new level. Using a range of hand and foot holds of different shapes and sizes, climbers put their skills and strength into practice on a vertical wall. The wall may feature varying angles of either positive (slab) or negative (steep, overhanging) sections.

Sport Climbing debuted on the Olympic stage for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018. It is the sole purely vertical sport on the programme of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. At Tokyo, athletes competed in a combined event of all three disciplines (Lead, Boulder, and Speed) for one medal per gender. Sport Climbing has been officially included in the programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In Speed, the athletes need explosive strength as well as precision to complete the climb. The fastest times for the Men’s event are usually in between the five and six-second mark, while the winners in Women’s events are usually around six to eight seconds.

The aim of Speed is to be the fastest to reach the top of the route on a 15 m wall.

- All 12 athletes, in a pair, participate in the Qualification round (2 races/heats).

- After the completion of Qualification, the top eight (8) fastest athletes from the ranking will proceed to the elimination rounds. The best time of each athlete will be taken in consideration for ranking purposes.

- During the finals round, athletes compete one against the other in a series of elimination races (quarter-finals, semifinals and finals).

- The Final race awards the Gold and Silver medals, while the winner of the small-final race wins the Bronze medal.  

After athletes take a starting position, the announcer will give a 'ready' sign. The following countdown clock signals the last three seconds until athletes start climbing the wall simultaneously.

In the Qualification round, the Speed ranking is decided by the fastest time recorded by athletes. Athletes have two races. The best time of each athlete will be taken into consideration for ranking purposes.

In the Final round, the winner is the first to reach the top of the route and the ranking is decided by the series of subsequent elimination rounds (quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals).

Information on penalties can be found here.

Single Men

1. Reza ALIPOURSHENAZANDIFAR (IRI)
2. Danyil BOLDYREV (UKR)
3. Stanislav KOKORIN (RUS)

Single Women

1. Iuliia KAPLINA (RUS)
2. Anouck JAUBERT (FRA)
3. Anna TSYGANOVA (RUS)

Single Men

1. Dmitrii TIMOFEEV (RUS)
2. Stanislav KOKORIN (RUS)
3. Qixin ZHONG (CHN)

Single Women

1. Alina GAIDAMAKINA (RUS)
2. Mariia KRASAVINA (RUS)
3. Iuliia KAPLINA (RUS)

Single Men

1. Qixin ZHONG (CHN)
2. Evgeny VAYTSEKHOVSKY (RUS)
3. Maksym STYENKOVYY (UKR)

Single Women

1. Cuilian HE (CHN)
2. Cuifang HE (CHN)
3. Olga MOROZKINA (RUS)

Single Men

1. Alexander PESHEKHONOV (RUS)
2. Serguey SINITSYN (RUS)
3. Evgeny VAYTSEKHOVSKY (RUS)

Single Women

1. Anna SAULEVICH (RUS)
2. Olena RYEPKO (UKR)
3. Tatiana RUYGA (RUS)

• Marcin DZIENSKI(POL): 4. in TWG2017
• Danyil BOLDYREV(UKR): 2. in TWG2017
• John BROSLER(USA): 5. in TWG2017
• Andrea ROJAS(ECU): 10. in TWG2017
• Patrycja CHUDZIAK(POL): 8. in TWG2017