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How the Olympic Combined Climbing Format Works

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, November 27th 2025 at 12:01 GMT by ABC News

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How Climbing Works at the Olympics: A Breakdown of the Sport’s New “Combined” Format

When the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added sport climbing to the Paris 2024 program, it came with a twist: the “combined” event. ABC News’ recent feature – “Climbing works like an Olympic competition” – takes readers through the nuts and bolts of this new Olympic discipline, drawing on interviews with athletes, coaches and officials, and referencing the sport’s rapid rise from a niche pastime to a global spectacle.

1. The Olympic “Combined” Event – What It Means

Unlike traditional climbing competitions that feature separate podiums for speed, bouldering and lead, the Olympic format multiplies the athletes’ rankings across all three. A climber who finishes 2nd in speed, 4th in bouldering and 5th in lead, for example, would receive a combined score of 2 × 4 × 5 = 40. The lowest product wins, making consistency across disciplines paramount.

The article explains that this approach rewards versatility: a speed specialist can’t rely on a single strong performance; a lead climber must also be quick enough to survive the first round of speed. “It’s not enough to be the fastest or the best at solving boulders,” says 2021 Olympic gold medalist Janja Garnbret, who dominated the lead portion in Tokyo but was humbled by her own speed ranking.

2. How the Competition Is Structured

ABC News breaks down the event’s phases:

• Speed Qualifiers – Two athletes race up a 15‑meter wall in 15 seconds. The top two from each heat move to the next round. The first time the athletes run is often a true test of reaction and explosive power.
• Bouldering – Climbers face four boulder problems, each worth one point if solved before the two‑minute timer ends. The athlete who clears the most problems (and does so fastest) advances.
• Lead – Competitors attempt a single route, typically 20–25 meters high, and are scored by the highest hold they reach. Any fall results in a score of the last secured hold.

The article quotes event director Marco Ghezzi, who highlights the logistical challenge of running all three formats in a single evening: “We have to manage crowds, lighting and safety in a tight window. It’s a test of the organizers as much as it is of the athletes.”

3. Qualification Pathways

The piece also delves into how athletes earned their spots. The IOC allocated 20 male and 20 female quotas for the combined event. Qualification was achieved through a mix of world championship performance, World Cup rankings, continental qualifiers and the “Olympic Qualifying Event” (OQE) in 2023. ABC News highlights the fierce competition in the OQE, where 120 climbers vied for the final eight spots. “We’re talking about 3‑4 athletes per continent fighting for a single berth,” explains Olympic Committee liaison Maria Silva.

4. The Cultural Shift: From Climbing Gyms to Global Stage

The feature places the sport’s Olympic debut in historical context. Climbing’s roots trace back to the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) standardized rules in 2005 that a world ranking system emerged. The article underscores how the sport’s inclusion in the Olympics accelerated global participation: in 2023, IFSC reported 100 000 registered climbers in 200 countries, a 50 % increase over five years.

ABC News quotes veteran climber Adam Ondra, who says: “When I heard about the Olympics, I realized that our community could finally have a platform that reaches millions. That’s why we’re all training harder and pushing the limits.”

5. What Fans Should Expect

Readers get a primer on how to follow the event:

• Scoreboard – Each athlete’s performance is displayed live on a screen, with instant replay for controversial moves.
• Timing – Speed runs are recorded to the millisecond; bouldering results are announced immediately after the heat; lead scores are tallied after all athletes have completed the route.
• Fan Engagement – ABC News links to the IFSC’s social media for real‑time updates, and the article notes the inclusion of a “climbers’ corner” where viewers can see the athletes’ personal stories.

6. Beyond the Olympics

The article ends by looking ahead. It notes that the IOC plans to keep climbing in the Olympic program for at least the next two cycles, while the IFSC is exploring a potential “speed‑lead” double‑event for the 2028 Los Angeles Games to further diversify the sport. It also cites the growing interest in “climbing parks” and “urban rock walls,” especially in Asia, suggesting that Olympic exposure could drive infrastructure investment worldwide.

In Summary

ABC News’ feature provides a thorough walkthrough of the Olympic climbing format, explaining how the combined scoring system works, the intense qualification process, and the sport’s cultural ascent to the world stage. By interweaving athlete insights, organizer perspectives and historical context, the article gives readers both a practical guide to watching the competition and a deeper appreciation for what climbing has become: a truly global, multi‑disciplinary sport that thrives on speed, strength and sheer creative problem‑solving.