On Tuesday 3rd June, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the medals and athlete quotas for the LA28 Paralympics. The LA28 Games will be the first time Para Climbing will be part of the Paralympics. Just like when Sport Climbing featured in the Olympics for the first time, the sport has fewer medals than are usually compared with World Cups.
In Para Climbing World Cups, there are 10 different categories for each gender. Athletes only compete in Lead. They are grouped into 3 groups for:
- those who are visually impaired,
- those with a limb deficiency, and
- those with limited power or mobility.
There are also 2-3 different levels of impairment, 1 being the most impaired and 3 the least. These categories are used to ensure a fair competition so that athletes with a similar level of impairment compete together.
In the Paralympics, Para Climbing will only have four medals and forty athletes per gender for a total of eight medals and eighty athletes. The categories are:
- Visually impaired women's B2 and men's B1. These are classified by how much visual field they have. Blind climbers have a sight guide to announce holds and moves.
- Upper limb deficiency – women’s and men’s AU2. These athletes have one working arm and one with a forearm amputation or limb deficiency.
- Lower limb deficiency – women’s and men’s AL2. These athletes have at least one leg amputation or limb deficiency.
- Range and power – women’s and men’s RP1. RP athletes have the largest range of impairments. These could include hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, impaired passive range of motion, impaired muscle power, or short stature.
IFSC President Marco Scolaris said after the announcement: “Today is a another great day for the Climbing family. To see Para Climbing included in the Paralympic Games with gender parity and an inclusive event structure is the result of years of work of the IFSC team, and the incredible resilience of our athletes. We are grateful to the IPC for their confidence and excited for the journey towards LA28.”
The IFSC also announced that Long Beach, which hosts Sport Climbing at the LA28 Olympics, will also host Para Climbing at the Paralympics, right next to the Para Swimming events.
Pain and joy as athletes react to the decision
For Sport Climbing's first appearance at the Olympics, there was only one medal. Despite the compromise for the athletes, it did allow all the athletes from the different disciplines to compete.
For Para Climbing, you cannot compete in a different category, even if it is harder for you. So a B1 cannot compete in B2. This means that athletes in categories other than those announced cannot compete at the Paralympics in LA 28.
Here is how the 240 registered athletes for the Innsbruck Para Climbing World Cup split across the categories, with Paralympic categories highlighted in bold.
| AL/AU | RP | B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AL – 14 Men 4 Women |
23 Men 14 Women |
7 Men 5 Women |
| 2 | AL - 26 Men 5 Women AU - 14 Men 16 Women |
14 Men 16 Women |
18 Men 13 Women |
| 3 | AU – 12 Men 5 Women |
19 Men 15 Women |
8 Men 8 Women |
The Paralympic categories are some of the larger ones, for most Para Climbing athletes, their dream of going to the LA2028 Paralympics is now over. However, many in the community who's category have not been selected have been supportive of those who will get to compete at the Paralympics.
Hopefully if all goes well in LA2028, Para Climbing will expand it's number of medals and athletes in Brisbane 2032, just like how Sport Climbing did from Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024.