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Climbing an Olympic sport?

oweng

18-Sep-2003
12:53:18 PM

After watching parts of the world athletics championships a couple of weeks ago, and reading topic on this forum about bouldering comps, the thought sprang to mind that bouldering competitions would be well suited to inclusion in the olympics (perhaps in the gymnastics?).

Does anyone know if its ever been considered for inclusion, or included as a demonstration sport?

Do people think this would be a good thing for the sport (higher profile, more competition, possibility of sponsership for individual climbers etc) or a potentially bad thing (potentially increased popularity of sport leading to unsustainable increases in use of outdoor climbing venues)?

Lastly, would the possibility of representing Australia at the olympics be a motivating factor for any of you guys?

Im interested to hear your thoughts.

Owen Gervasoni.

Dalai

18-Sep-2003
12:57:02 PM

Try http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38458&highlight= for more info on this.

And competing for Australia is pretty cool...

anthonyk

19-Sep-2003
12:47:36 PM

i couldn't think of anything worse.. imagine the number of new gym junkies you'd get involved in climbing. i don't think the mentality of climbers fits well with competitions like the olympics, you'd attract a completely different breed of people. i think climbers (at least in australia) like being more of an independant sub culture like surfers and wouldn't take well to the attitude that being a mainstream popular sport would bring.

ok i'm crapping on a bit.. i think it would be a similar issue to the different type of people attracted to gym climbing, but as long as they stay in the gym it doesn't bother me ;)

i guess we can't be selfish with who can enjoy being out on the rocks but i kind of like how climbing lets you get away from it all and go to amazing places that are so unique (ie hanging off a roof 100m off a sweeping valley). if it was overrun with people thinking about money and gold medals rather than just enjoying being there i wouldn't be too happy about it.

i think one of the beautys of the sport is the fact that people going out climbing are just there to climb, they're just doing it because they love being there. there's no other issues or agendas.

Dalai

19-Sep-2003
2:06:12 PM

Sorry Anthony, but I disagree

On 19/09/2003 anthonyk wrote:
> i don't think the mentality of climbers
>fits well with competitions like the olympics, you'd attract a completely
>different breed of people. I think climbers (at least in australia) like
>being more of an independant sub culture like surfers and wouldn't take
>well to the attitude that being a mainstream popular sport would bring.

Surfing for many years been a mainstream sport with a very strong competition circuit, grass roots level surfing hasn't been changed. As hasn't climbing - the world cup circuit has been around for many years and hasn't changed climbing.

> if it was overrun with people thinking about money and gold medals
>rather than just enjoying being there i wouldn't be too happy about it.

Where do you base this concept with people who are competing don't enjoy climbing?
I have climbed with quite a few top class international competitive climbers over the years - including competing World Cup and US Nationals myself. There isn't a closer more friendly scene! Same nationally, I always looked forward to going interstate to comp's just to catch up with the other climbers around the country.

anthonyk

19-Sep-2003
3:00:06 PM

On 19/09/2003 Dalai wrote:
>Surfing for many years been a mainstream sport with a very strong competition
>circuit, grass roots level surfing hasn't been changed. As hasn't climbing
>- the world cup circuit has been around for many years and hasn't changed
>climbing.

still, i think those competitions are pretty different to ones where theres as much money and hype as the olympics. maybe i'm wrong. i guess i'm imagining the throngs of people who would be drawn to it as a kind of vertical aerobics.

>Where do you base this concept with people who are competing don't enjoy
>climbing?
>I have climbed with quite a few top class international competitive climbers
>over the years - including competing World Cup and US Nationals myself.
>There isn't a closer more friendly scene! Same nationally, I always looked
>forward to going interstate to comp's just to catch up with the other climbers
>around the country.

hmm, painted myself into a corner on this one.. i know a big part of climbing is training and pushing your skills, i wouldn't argue for a minute that being competitive means you're not enjoying it. and i'd never suggest that people taking part in comps like the world cup aren't an awesome crowd to hang out with.

i guess i was more thinking of the general mentality carried by people at a crag, at the moment i feel the general attitude is the competition as against yourself, not against the guy next to you. if you go to somewhere like a local basketball court you can get this real competitive attitude even from people you've just met that are playing on the same team. i don't think it would really change much at first having more exposure but i worry about competitiveness becoming a central part of the sport.

but hey maybe it wouldn't be so bad, it would give the die-hards more of a chance to make a living off it.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

24-Sep-2003
1:10:05 PM

On 19/09/2003 anthonyk wrote:
>On 19/09/2003 Dalai wrote:
>>Surfing for many years been a mainstream sport with a very strong competition
>>circuit, grass roots level surfing hasn't been changed. As hasn't climbing
>>- the world cup circuit has been around for many years and hasn't changed
>>climbing.
>
>still, i think those competitions are pretty different to ones where theres
>as much money and hype as the olympics. maybe i'm wrong. i guess i'm
>imagining the throngs of people who would be drawn to it as a kind of vertical
>aerobics.

My 2 cents on an interesting topic from a laypersons perspective who never did / nor ever will achieve anything of significance in competition, (mostly through disinclination to participate);

I tend to agree with anthonyk's sentiments.

Although having professional or olympic competition can be inspirational, most of us (here assuming the silent majority), don't aspire to it.

I disagree that grass roots level surfing (& possibly climbing) has not been changed. A percentage of participants may be inspired to greater achievments or to chase the dollar (if they are good enough), but they are equally offset by the group who resent having their fairly peaceful lives intruded upon by the less desirable aspects of the famous hordes (or wanabees) decending upon their 'haunts'.
I endured the less savoury aspects of 'localism' when it raised its reactionary head in surfing over a number of years and at various locations and would be apalled if the same happened to my preferred climbing haunts.
I would hope that I am not elitist and am prepared to share my wonderful sport and locations its done in, but I know I would resent some of the attitudes encountered that I read about in famous rock climbing destinations in Europe (in particular) and USA (to a lesser extent), if it happened here in Oz.
If you doubt the voracity of these remarks then I suggest you have not tried surfing at a 'name' break in a popular area when it is 'going off'!

I believe that the 'cutting edge' climbers of today are the equivalent of the most dedicated olympic athletes. This assumption is based on the sustained effort and lifestyle that it must take for them to put up Gd 34+'s and V14's etc. They may not get the recognition that they might want or deserve, but they still reach that level of achievement for their own reasons.

Even though Oz is blessed with seemingly abundant resources for climbing upon, it is still a fragile and ultimately limited medium, and attitudes other than having fun and caring for this resource do not fit well with my (limited?) vision of its future.

Dalai

24-Sep-2003
1:40:37 PM

I am not disputing that increased numbers doesn't have an impact on a limited non renewable resource (surf breaks more crowded, cliffs more busy) but I don't believe competitions have any discernable effect.
The most noticeable increase in climbers has been the advent of indoor walls, not competitions. For the non climbing viewing public, there is just about no sport more boring (perhaps synchronized swimming could be worse). The main reason the extreme games etc have scrapped difficulty comps and gone with speed climbing.
The reality also is that many of the top international competition climbers train and climb nearly exclusively on plastic and therefore won't be out at your cliffs anyway.
It's about time this sport received some official recognition, so that those people that want to compete overseas for their country can at least get some funding rather than going into debt for the experience.

nmonteith

24-Sep-2003
1:54:06 PM

Yep - when i was 15 I gave up surfing and took up climbing. Climbing had no 'local' hassle and much more freedom!

IdratherbeclimbingM9

24-Sep-2003
2:47:42 PM

On 24/09/2003 Dalai wrote:
>The reality also is that many of the top international competition climbers
>train and climb nearly exclusively on plastic and therefore won't be out
>at your cliffs anyway.
>It's about time this sport received some official recognition, so that
>those people that want to compete overseas for their country can at least
>get some funding rather than going into debt for the experience.

You are probably right about the training on plastic thing, but in surfing I found the attitude of some of the 'hotshots', less than desirable ... and would be disappointed if I came across it on a climb.

Surfing went beyond the locally sponsored events to professional status by the sustained effort of the elite at the time, who formed a 'Professional Association', and then negotiated a better deal for themselves.
There is nothing stopping climbings elite doing the same. IMHO I'd say let them rock up to the Australian Sports Institute (or whatever), and lobby Olympic Committees with their resumes to obtain 'official recognition'. Failing that perhaps some of the sponsors of equipment etc can/will assist them in their endeavours, as it seems they would also have a vested interest in that kind of exposure?

I have noted with interest that Climbing Instructors have trended down the same path, and can only assume that the outcome (among other things) is a certain homogeniety (sp?) of recognition, funding (albeit fee for service) etc.

Other than that it would seem that the participants have to go overseas to be recognised, as Australia is too small a population base to care much about minority sports in fiscal terms?

There-in lies the dilemma I guess; Having to go overseas to get the recognition for the funding to go overseas!

Dalai

24-Sep-2003
3:39:49 PM

On 24/09/2003 A5iswhereitsat wrote:
>You are probably right about the training on plastic thing, but in surfing
>I found the attitude of some of the 'hotshots', less than desirable ...
>and would be disappointed if I came across it on a climb.

I have found surfing it was 'the locals' who have been less than pleasant - I have been on a few occassions asked politely to move along, or else! Never come across any of the hotshots, so I can't comment there. As for an elitist attitude with climbers, I never came across this personally.

>Failing that perhaps some of the sponsors of equipment etc can/will assist
>them in their endeavours, as it seems they would also have a vested interest
>in that kind of exposure?

Many national sponsors are importers - therefore they don't get the required exposure from their sponsored climber overseas. No exposure means no interest.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

24-Sep-2003
4:01:41 PM

On 24/09/2003 Dalai wrote:
>Many national sponsors are importers - therefore they don't get the required
>exposure from their sponsored climber overseas. No exposure means no interest.

Another 'catch 22' !

Dalai

24-Sep-2003
4:30:07 PM

True. I had a great sponsor, on top of the usual gear they also covered travel and accommodation costs for all Australian competitions. But as an importer, there was no direct gain through their product placement if the product was being displayed outside their network ie overseas. So to travel and compete overseas was all self funded.

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