Olympic climbing: TV channel, how to watch and schedule

Latest new sport to get underway in Japan sees Team GB’s Shauna Coxsey in action

Joe Sommerlad
Wednesday 04 August 2021 10:20 BST
Comments
Related video: Simone Biles returns with stunning routine at balance beam final

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Climbing is the latest new sport to make its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, kicking off at the Aomi Urban Sports Park on Tuesday 3 August and joining the likes of skateboarding, mountain biking and surfing in taking a first bow in Japan.

Competitors ascend an artificial rock face using hand and foot holds across three disciplines: speed, bouldering and lead.

The first sees two climbers race to the top of a 15m wall, with the winner the first to strike a buzzer at the summit.

Follow Tokyo Olympics 2021: Latest medals and updates

The second sees climbers complete routes, known as “problems”, one by one up a 4.5m course. Scores are determined according to the number of problems overcome and the courses are reset between the qualification heats and the finals.

The third discipline sees competitors climb as high as they can up a 15m wall inside six minutes in one go.

At the qualification stage, the 40 climbers in contention (no more than two per nation) compete in all three disciplines to determine their place in an overall ranking table, with the top eight ascending to the final.

The top eight compete again in the three events on modified courses in the finals.

The British interest in proceedings arrives in the shape of Shauna Coxsey MBE, 28, from Runcorn in Cheshire, who has said she will be retiring after these Games, which therefore represent her first and last shot at Olympic glory.

The sport’s great champion is the Czech climber Adam Ondra, who will also be in action in Tokyo.

The men’s competition commences with the qualifiers on 3 August, with the finals taking place on Thursday 5 August, while the women’s event begins on Wednesday 4 August, followed by the finals on Friday 6 August.

The drama is being broadcast live in the UK on BBC TV, on the iPlayer, Red Button and online as well as on Eurosport via the Eurosport Player.

A £6.99 monthly pass and a three-day free trial is available for the latter.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in