Olympic Channel to Livestream 2018 Ice World Cups

All five World Cup events in the 2018 calendar are scheduled to be livestreamed on the global digital platform, starting with the season opener in Saas Fee, Switzerland on Jan. 18 to 20 and closing with the finale in Kirov, Russia from March 2 to 4.

“Live coverage of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour on the Olympic Channel is an exciting and significant development,” explains the UIAA President Frits Vrijlandt.

Athletes and member federations are informed that registration for January’s UIAA Ice Climbing European Cup event in Champagny/L’Argentière-la-Bessée is now open. The event will be held from 11-13 January and follows on from successful competitions in Domzale, Slovenia and Bratislava, Slovakia. Organised for the first time this season, the four European Cup events offer athletes both the chance to maintain their form for the World Cup season, starting mid January, and for younger and debutant competition ice climbers to test themselves in a professional environment. The event in France offers a first in ice climbing; in addition to two individual European Cup events in lead and speed, the event as a whole will be a combined test event, rewarding athletes who excel in both disciplines. This will server as a forerunner for the 2019 UIAA Ice Climbing World Championships which is scheduled to be a dual format competition. The Lead competition takes place first on 11 January in Champagny-en-Vanoise followed by the Speed competition two days later in L’Argentière-la-Bessée. Full details can be found in the dedicated Welcome Letter/Information Kit on the UIAA website. A week after this international combined event, the World Tour series commences with the first World Cup event in Saas Fee, Switzerland. The European Cup series concludes in Oulu, Finland on 24-25 February. A full preview media release dedicated to the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour will be available on 3 January. #theuiaa #iceclimbing

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“Following the success of the 2017 season in terms of viewing figures and quality of live broadcast, our goal is to further amplify the coverage of ice climbing throughout 2018.

“The Olympic Channel is a prestigious platform, and our presence on the Channel will help introduce ice climbing to sport enthusiasts from across the globe.”

Full 2018 Schedule

The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform media destination where fans can discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round, and is available worldwide via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.

The Olympic Channel was launched in 2016 in support of the IOC’s goal, set out in Olympic Agenda 2020, of providing a new way to engage younger generations, fans and new audiences with the Olympic Movement.

A dedicated news release with full details on how to follow the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing season will be available on 3 January, 2018.