Rock climbing ‘War of Stars’… September World Climbing Championships in Korea
The World Sports Climbing Championship, the highest authority competition hosted by the International Sports Climbing Federation (IFSC), will be held in Korea for the first time.
The Korea Mountain Federation held a media day event at the Seoul Olympic Parktel on the 21st, and held a media day event for 2025 IFSC World Sports Climbing & Paraclaming Championships (September 20-28).
The tournament, which will be held at the Seoul Olympic Park Hanul Square (Qualifier) and KSPO Dome (finals), will be the first in Korea and will be held six years after the 2019 Hachi Oji Tournament in Asia.
The Korea Mountain Federation said, “More than 1,000 athletes in 60 countries are expected. The crowd is expected to be around 40,000.
At the World Championships every two years after the 1991 German Frankfurt tournament, the winners will be won in three sports: Lead, Boulder, and Speed.
Lead should compete in the 15 -meter artificial rock in 6 minutes, and the bouldering should solve the problems given in 45 minutes on a relatively low rock wall of 4-5m. Speed at the 15m rock, the two players start at the same time and compete with who reaches the top first.
Park Hee -yong, director of the Korean national team, said, “We are aiming for winning in both Boulder, Speed, and Lead.
In Korea, Lee Do -hyun, Seo Chae -hyun, and Kim Ja -in, the men and women of lead and Boulder, will be played. In particular, Lee Do -hyun (23) is a world -class stronger in both male leads (fourth in the world) and Boulder (2nd).
The tournament also serves as a paraclaming world championship. Seo Jong -guk, coach of the Korean paraclaming team, introduced the “disabled climbing for the first time.”
Cho Jwa -jin, chairman of the Korea Mountain Federation, said, “The World Championships in Seoul will be an opportunity to raise the status of Korean sports climbing and to inform the people the charm of climbing as an Olympic event.”
Kim Chang -geum, senior reporter kimck@hani.co.kr
