In news that will delight fans of competition climbing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that there will be three separate climbing events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games: Speed, Lead and Boulder.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, there were two disciplines up for grabs for the world's elite climbers: Speed, and the Combined Lead and Boulder. Now the latter has been split into separate events. It's a move that will have specialists in each pursuit rubbing their hands in anticipation.
A statement from the IOC explains the board has approved six events for men's and women's Lead, Speed, and Boulder climbing, with a total quota of 76 athletes (38 women and 38 men).
It's a move that's been welcomed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).
"From the very beginning of our Olympic journey we have always had the target of three sets of medals for our athletes. Each of our disciplines has its own unique strengths, and now everyone will see these at LA28. LA28 will be an even bigger celebration for climbing," says President Marco Scolaris.
Austrian climber Jakob Schubert also signalled his praise for the decision. As a lead climbing specialist, he'll be considering whether or not to pursue the competition in 2028, having won the bronze medal for the Combined Lead and Boulder event in 2024.
"It is not only absolutely the right decision for the sport of climbing, but also a strong statement in favour of its international popularity," Schubert tells UK Climbing.
"Despite being held twice with compromised solutions, climbing has come a long way since the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and now it's nice to have the certainty that the sport will be held in L.A. as it should be."
