Climbers compete in three disciplines and the athlete with the best overall score wins.
TOKYO, Japan — Sport climbing is making it’s Olympic debut at the games in Tokyo.
As many people will be watching the sport for the first time, we wanted to help break down how it all works.
As the Tokyo Olympics, sport climbing works as a combined competition. Athletes compete in three disciplines and whoever does the best over all three will win the medals.
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Speed climbing
Rules
Each athlete must climb to the top of a 15 meter or (49 foot) high wall as fast as they can.
The holds on the wall are in the exact same place during each competition, so athletes can memorize and practice their routes ahead of time.
Scoring
Two climbers race on parallel lanes simultaneously.
During the qualification rounds, each climber gets two attempts to record the fastest time they can. They are then ranked using their fastest time.
The final round functions as a bracket-style tournament. Climbers face off against one another in seeded matchups and just need to beat the person they are climbing against to move up. Winners face each other and losers face each other until a final one through eight ranking is achieved.
Bouldering
Rules
During the bouldering event, athletes attempt to climb to the top of as many short routes as possible in a given amount of time.
The routes are each 4.5 meters (15 feet) high and are designed to be difficult They are kept hidden from the climber until they begin so each athlete isn’t aloud to watch their competitors until after they go.
During the qualification round, there are four routes and athletes get five minutes to climb each of them, with five minutes of rest between.
In the final, there are three routes. Athletes also get six minutes before the final round begins to study the routes.
On each route, there is a designated starting position which includes a mandatory placement of all four of a climbers limbs. A climber “tops” a route when he or she gets both hands on the very top hold and maintains control for long enough that a judge determines the climb successful.
There’s also a middle point called a “zone hold” that gives an athlete partial credit if they get there but not to the top.
Climbers don’t use a rope during bouldering. Instead, the floor is heavily padded.
Scoring
At the end of each round, climbers are ranked based on the most routes topped, most zone holds reached and fewest total attempts.
Lead climbing
Rules
In lead climbing, athletes try to get as high as they can on one difficult route.
The route is set on a 15 meter (49 foot) high wall and the athletes have six minutes to make the climb.
There are carabiners installed along the route that the climbers are required to clip their belay rope into as they ascend.
Athletes are not allowed to see or practice the route ahead of the competition but do get a six-minute observation period before they begin their climb. They also are not allowed to watch each other climb.
Scoring
On the wall, each hold is numbered from the bottom to the top. If a climber falls before getting to the top hold, the number of the hold they reached before falling is recorded.
Climbers are ranked based on the farthest hold they were able to reach.
If more than one climber tops the route, the one that does it the fastest is ranked higher.
Overall ranking
There are 20 athletes of each gender that will participate in the qualifying rounds at the Tokyo Olympics.
At the end of each discipline, climbers are ranked from best (1) to worst (20). After the qualification round, each athlete’s three rankings are multiplied together. The athletes with the eight lowest total scores move on to the final round.
The same is done after the finals with the lowest total score in that round earning the gold, the second lowest earning a silver and the third lowest earning the bronze.
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