How Climbing Athletes Qualify for the 2020 Olympics
For the first time in history, Sport Climbing will be part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, 2020. Many people have been wondering how athletes qualify to compete at this monumental event. Below is a breakdown.
Things to know off the top:
(a) There are spots for 20 men and 20 women at these Olympic Games
(b) There is a maximum of 2 men and 2 women per country allowed
The 20 athletes (per gender) will be selected via the following:
7 Athletes: Selection Event in Hachioji, Japan (Aug 2019)
6 Athletes: Selection Event in Toulouse, France (Nov 2019)
5 Athletes: 1 per Continental Championships (x 5) (Feb-Apr 2020)
1 Athlete: Wildcard athlete invited by the Olympic Committee
1 Athlete: Japanese athlete selected by the Olympic Committee
=20 Total
Hachioji, Japan (Aug 11-21, 2019) – 7 Spots
The first selection event takes place immediately after the IFSC World Championships in Hachioji, Japan. Only 20 climbers qualify to compete at this event. Athletes are ranked according to the product of their results in each discipline of the World Championships (Bouldering x Lead x Speed) and the top 20 athletes participate in the selection event.
The selection event is a combined format, as it will be at the Olympics. There are two rounds, with eight climbers advancing to Finals. The top seven athletes per gender (maximum two per nation) qualify to compete at the Olympics.
Toulouse, France (Nov 28-Dec 1, 2019) – 6 Spots
The second selection event takes place in Toulouse, France, at the end of November. Once again, only 20 athletes per gender can attend this combined format competition. This time, athletes qualify based on a ranking determined by their top two results at World Cup events in each discipline. (This is why many athletes opted for a reduced World Cup season). The seven athletes who qualified for the Olympics in Hachioji are excluded.
The top six athletes from this selection event earn a spot to compete at the Olympics.
Continental Championships – 5 Spots
The top-ranked man and woman from each Continental Championships – who haven’t already qualified and whose country has not reached its two-competitor limit – earn a spot at the Olympics. The 5 events are scheduled as follows:
Selection by the Olympic Committee – 2 Spots
The two remaining spots are selected by the Olympic Committee.
(1) One spot is for a “wildcard” athlete. S/he must have qualified for and competed in the first selection event in Hachioji, but not qualified for the Olympics there or through any other event.
(2) The other spot is reserved for the Japanese team. This way, as the host country, Japan is guaranteed at least one man and woman in the Olympic games. In the (very likely) event that the two spots for Japan are filled at the qualifying events, this spot is given to the next athlete in the rankings from the Hachioji selection event.
So there you have it! We will keep you posted on the results and rankings of Canadian athletes as the season progresses. The Difficulty season begins and the Speed season continues on July 4 in Villars, Switzerland and the World Cup season culminates with the World Championships in Hachioji, Japan in August.
As shown above, this year’s World Championships have very highs stakes because it is by doing well in all 3 disciplines at the World Champs that an athlete qualifies for the first Olympic selection event.
And the Hachioji selection event gives an athlete a big chance of making it to the Olympics because even if he or she doesn’t end up in the top seven, both the Wildcard spot and the replacement for the Japanese spot are chosen from the athletes who qualified for this competition.
Big thanks to Shauna Coxsey, who put up this video outlining the process:
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