Want some good news? Here it is: Competitive climbing will be joining the podium sports being offered at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Para climbing, as the sport is known, checked all the boxes officials want: It is open to both genders, has a strong youth following and is fully inclusive. The response from athletes and fans has been nothing short of wildly enthusiastic.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board approved the proposal from the LA28 Organizing Committee to include Para climbing into the 2028 Paralympic Sport Program.
This means that the LA28 Paralympic Games will now feature 23 sports - the 22 sports that were initially approved by the IPC in January 2023, and Para climbing which will make its Paralympic debut in 2028.
In accordance with the IPC Handbook, an Organizing Committee of a respective Paralympic Games may propose to the IPC one or more additional events in new sports, with consideration for inclusion at the absolute discretion of the IPC Governing Board.
As part of the International Federation application process launched in 2022, a record 33 sports submitted applications to the IPC to be included in the LA28 Paralympic Games. Following an extensive evaluation process, the IPC approved 22 sports in January 2023 and granted LA28 the opportunity the potential of including Para climbing or Para surfing, sports that have not been featured before at the Paralympic Games.
Since then, LA28 conducted a thorough evaluation process with close consultation from the International Federations and the IPC to collect the necessary information to reach a final proposal.
Similar to the evaluation criteria used to assess sport disciplines and potential new sports for the 2028 Olympic Games, LA28 assessed the global and domestic popularity, the universality at major international events as well as the cost and complexity of the shortlisted sport.
And when it was announced that Para climbing would be included, the response was quick and enthusiastic.
“When I first [started] climbing at 12 years old, the idea that Sport Climbing, let alone Para Climbing for people like me, would enter the world stage on the Olympic and Paralympic scale was unimaginable,” longtime Para Climbing athlete Mo Beck said. “I cannot wait for the opportunity for our para athletes to amaze the world with what they can do and look forward to growing the sport in a way that is accessible to all athletes. And to 12-year-old me, I say: ‘Keep at it, you never know what heights you’ll reach with the help of an incredible community.’ LA28, let’s go!’”
Andrew Parsons, IPC President, noted that by 2028, Para climbing will be the fifth new sport on the Paralympic sport program in the last 12 years, underlining the IPC’s desire to keep the Paralympic Games fresh and a showcase of the Paralympic Movement’s diversity. My thanks go to the LA28 for proposing Para climbing; in doing so, they become the first organizing committee in history to propose an additional sport to the Paralympic Sport program.”
Shuan Butcher, communications manager for MOVE UNITED, sees a ripple effect that will encourage others to get out and attempt not just climbing but other new sports.
“Para climbing is on the rise in the United States," he notes, "and having this sport offered in Los Angeles at the 2028 Paralympic Games will not only provide a platform to showcase the talent and skill these amazing athletes have, but will also highlight the opportunity for others to get out and try the sport as well.”
Back in 2016, USA Climbing’s CEO, Kenyan Waggoner, told SDM that the para climbing populations was a valuable group to the organization, and that a national championship as well as regional training camps were being offered.
The IFSC has been hosting Para climbing competitions since 2006, when the first international event saw athletes from National Federations compete. Today athletes from 27 different nations regularly compete in the sport which features an annual competition circuit including World Cup events, as well as biennial Para climbing World Championships which run alongside the IFSC Climbing World Championships. The IFSC was granted the status of Recognized International Federation by the IPC in 2017.
The 23 sports that will be included in the LA28 Paralympic Games are: Blind football, Boccia, Goalball, Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, Para canoe, Para climbing, Para cycling, Para equestrian, Para judo, Para powerlifting, Para rowing, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, Shooting Para sport, Sitting volleyball, Wheelchair basketball, Wheelchair fencing, Wheelchair rugby, and Wheelchair tennis.
At Rio 2016, Para canoe and Para triathlon were included in the Paralympic Games sport program for the first time, while at Tokyo 2020 Para badminton and Para taekwondo made their Paralympic debuts.
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