The Asian and Oceania Championships Rescheduled

This last week saw the opening of parks across the country. Pandemic restrictions, in Canada and around the world, are lifting as governing bodies better understand what the future might hold.

Though restrictions are easing, there is still work to be done. The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), in association with the Swiss Alpine Club, cancelled Switzerland’s World Cups on May 7. The risk associated with plastic-based climbing is difficult to ignore, and their call to cancel raised doubts regarding the future return of indoor and competition climbing.

The cancellation of the Meiringen World Cup brought with it concerns regarding international climbing events. This is due to the fact that Meiringen was supposed to begin the 2020 IFSC World Cup Series. Fortunately, the news this week is good and the IFSC has decided to reschedule the Asian Championships and the Oceania Championships for later this year.

On May 11, the IFSC published a press release that said, “After setting new dates for the IFSC European Championships, the International Federation of Sport Climbing – along with IFSC Asia and IFSC Oceania – is glad to announce that the IFSC Asian Championships have been rescheduled in Xiamen (CHN) from December 10 to 13, 2020; and the IFSC Oceania Championships have been rescheduled in Sydney (AUS) from December 19 to 20.”

The championships were originally supposed to take place in March of 2020, but had to be rescheduled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IFSC said, “As per the Qualifying System, each continental competition organised in 2020 will award two quota places for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – one slot per gender.”

So far, the only continental championship to have taken place is the Pan-American Championships in which Canada’s Alannah Yip and the United States’ Colin Duffy earned tickets for the XXXII Olympiad.

The press release also stated, “The IFSC European Championships have already been rescheduled in Moscow (RUS) from October 1 to 8, while the new dates of the African Championships have yet to be defined.”