para climbing
For many years, climbing has been practiced on cliffs, in the mountains, on boulders, or on artificial climbing structures by people with physical, mental, or sensory disabilities. It is called paraclimbing.
While climbing has been an Olympic sport since the Tokyo 2021 Games, para climbing will be included in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
In competition, climbing is usually practiced in three different formats: bouldering, speed climbing, and lead climbing. For several years now, for practical and safety reasons, lead climbing has become the preferred format for para climbing competitions.
the circuit
This year, three World Cups will take place in para-climbing:
- Salt Lake City (USA) - May 20 and 21
- Innsbruck (AUT) - June 23 and 24
- Laval (FRA) - October 24, 25 and 26
The Laval stage will therefore be the last, and will crown the champions of the season !
the categories
Impairments can vary greatly, as can climbing levels. To ensure fair competition, athletes are ranked to compete with athletes with the same level of impairment. In para-climbing, there are currently 10 different categories.
.jpg)
B1 to B3
Athletes with visual impairment.
Athletes wear opaque masks and are accompanied by a guide in the competition area. They use handheld communication devices to communicate with each other.
AL1 or AL2
Athletes with lower limb impairment.
Wearing a prosthesis is left to the athlete's free choice.
.jpg)
.jpg)
AU2 and AU3
Athletes with upper limb impairment.
In this category, the use of a prosthesis is prohibited.
RP1 to RP3
Athletes with limited strength and mobility.
.jpg)
To ensure a proper competition, the IFSC has defined a minimum number of athletes to open a category. Four athletes from three different countries are required to open a category in the World Cup, and six athletes from four different countries are required to open a category in the World Championship. If there are not enough athletes for a category, it is not opened and these athletes are not allowed to participate.
Since it is better to have an unfair competition than no competition, the rules provide the option to merge certain categories to allow more athletes to participate.
Source: paraclimbing.org
the climbers set off on identical parallel routes. The fastest wins.
The objective of speed climbing is to reach the top of a 15m wall as quickly as possible. Men and women compete on identical routes, which remain unchanged between rounds. Competitors compete in pairs on identical routes. The winner is the first to reach the top of the route.
.jpg)
speed
world records
MEN / 4.74s - Samuel Watson (USA)
WOMEN / 6.06s - Alexandra Miroslaw (POL)
european records
MEN / 4.74s - Samuel Watson (USA)
WOMEN / 6.06s - Alexandra Miroslaw (POL)
the circuit
The 2025 European Speed Cup circuit:
- Mezzolombardo (ITA) - June 6 and 7
- Zakopane (POL) - June 15 and 16
- St. Pölten (AUT) - August 16 and 17
- Laval (FRA) - October 24, 25 and 26
Once again, Laval will be the final stop!