Why is speed climbing included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics’ controversial format?
- Climbing is making its Olympic debut, but many have questioned the inclusion of speed climbing
The climbing community was confused and surprised to see speed climbing included in the Olympics when the sport’s Tokyo 2020 debut was announced.
Climbers will compete in three disciplines – bouldering, lead and speed climbing.
In bouldering, climbers have to perform a limited number of moves close to the ground. As there is no endurance or rope work involved, the moves are typically very technical.
The winner of lead climbing is simply the person who gets the highest before falling.
Speed climbing, the simplest of the three, is all about who gets to the top first and typically lasts less than 10 seconds.
The controversy is that climbers have to take part in all three. Imagine telling runners to compete in the 100m, 800m and marathon to earn gold. They might all be running disciplines, but the skill sets to compete in all three are barely related.
