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First Ever Canadian National Training Centre Will Be in Metro Vancouver

The Richmond Olympic Oval will be Climbing Escalade Canada's home base for training the country's top climbers

Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC) announced today that they have selected the Richmond Olympic Oval to be the home of their first ever National Training Centre for high performance athletes. The Oval was originally built as an indoor multi-sport venue for the 2010 Olympic Games. It now houses a popular climbing facility containing a large 17-metre-high lead wall, a speed wall, and a bouldering area suitable for competition-style boulder problems.

CEC is the national governing body for competition climbing in Canada, as recognized by the Canadian Olympic Committee and International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). They run climbing competitions such as the annual National Championships and tabulate athlete national rankings, which ultimately determine who gets invited to be in the national High Performance Program (HPP) and represent Canada in IFSC World Cup and Olympic competition.

CEC Podium Pathway. Figure by CEC.

The National Training Centre at the Olympic Richmond Oval will be a place where Canada’s top competition climbers and coaches can gather regularly for a few weeks at a time, to learn from each other and from international contributors.

“We have been working on this project for many years now, in collaboration with our partners,” said Andrew Wilson, CEC’s High Performance Director. “In conjunction with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Cycle, we will be hosting Semester Sessions at the National Training Centre. Athletes will be invited to stay in Richmond for periods up to 6-8 weeks, and train with the best resources available. Younger athletes will be supported in their scholarship endeavor with the integrated school model and services at the Oval.”

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