Sport Climbing to be Showcased at Nanjing Summer Youth Olympics

The IOC has announced that Sport Climbing will be showcased at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, August 16-28.

Sport climbing will be showcased at next year’s Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach revealed today.

The presence of climbing was highlighted by Bach after a special brainstorming session of the IOC Executive Board Meeting in the Swiss resort of Montreux.

Bach clarified that the performance of climbing will not occur in a competitive sense, but to raise awareness of them to the citizens of Nanjing and a global youth population.

The announcement marks an upturn in fortune for sport climbing which was eliminated in the first round of voting for inclusion at the 2020 Games, a race won by wrestling.

The news comes a month after Bach met Dr Raffaele Chiulli, head of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), and agreed to set up a Liaison Committee to help improve relations and cooperation between Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines.

It is thought that, rather like demonstration events held at Olympic Games of the past, the presence of the sports in Nanjing will be a significant opportunity to raise exposure, particularly due to the young audience which the Youth Olympic Games will provide.