Postponed competitions in sport climbing

Postponed competitions in sport climbing, preparations for Tokyo Olympics and Ljubljana World Cup ongoing.



The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has also decided to postpone the European Championships and this year's World Cup season in sport climbing due to the spread of the new coronavirus; the season will likely start at the end of May in Munich, with the European Championships tentatively in Moscow in June. Preparations for the September World Cup event in Ljubljana continue, as do those of Slovenian Olympic hopefuls for Tokyo 2020 Janja Garnbret and Mia Krampl.







The new competition season for sport climbers was supposed to start at the end of the month with the European Championships in Moscow, scheduled from March 20 to 27, but the IFSC has postponed it by two months to June 15-22 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Asian, Australian, and African championships have also been postponed. At the continental championships, sport climbers will compete in combined disciplines for the last tickets to this year's Olympic Games.



The start of the new World Cup season in bouldering was planned for the first April weekend in Swiss Meiringen, but the event - along with the one in Korean Seoul scheduled for early May - has been moved to September or October. The IFSC had already cancelled the April World Cup events in China, in Wujiang and Chongqing.



The Slovenian sport climbing team, which participated in the bouldering masters in Germany at the beginning of March where Janja Garnbret won and Lučka Rakovec took third place, is adapting its preparations for the new season. "Due to the coronavirus, everything has stopped at the moment; due to moral responsibility and health considerations, group activities have been cancelled, but all team members are training individually. Due to the changed competition dates, we need to prepare a new team work plan focusing on the June period, when the European Championships are tentatively scheduled and the lead season will begin; in the best-case scenario, the World Cup will start with a bouldering event in Munich at the end of May," emphasizes Gorazd Hren, head coach of the Slovenian sport climbing team, which responded on social media with the message: "The time will come when we will be together again - soon. Until then: we've got this! Stay safe and healthy! #SlovenijaPleza"



For now, the Slovenian World Cup in lead climbing on September 25 and 26, 2020, in Stožice Hall in Ljubljana is not in question. The Alpine Association of Slovenia, together with the general sponsor of the Slovenian sport climbing team Prva osebna zavarovalnica and Val 202, is preparing a climbing spectacle like none before in Slovenia. "Preparations for the event proceeded normally and as planned until last week. The program is largely set, and most performers have been selected. Further activities will depend on developments around the world and at home. Once the epidemic is contained and stopped, we will first wait for the updated competition schedule that the IFSC must approve. Then we will see when the competition season will actually start and update our program accordingly. Given that the event is at the end of September, we are working with partners to carry it out, of course provided that the situation due to the coronavirus threat normalizes first," explains PZS General Secretary Matej Planko.



The year 2020 is pivotal for sport climbing, as it will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Participation in the Olympics, which according to the latest information from the International Olympic Committee remain on the sports program from July 24 to August 9, has already been secured by three-time world champion Janja Garnbret and world runner-up in lead Mia Krampl, who are individually preparing for the event of the year. In the men's competition, the Slovenian sport climbing team will have two irons in the fire for the last ticket at the European Championships - Jernej Kruder and Anže Peharc.