World Climbing has announced the qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The events and the rules for the combined bouldering and lead climbing competition have also been finalized.
The International Climbing Federation World Climbing has presented the system with which athletes can register for the Olympic Games They could qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already approved the qualification process.
What makes LA 2028 so special
Sport climbing is making its third appearance at the Los Angeles Games – and for the third time with a different medal system. At its debut in Tokyo in 2021, athletes had to qualify using a combination of bouldering, lead, and speed climbing and compete in all three disciplines. This decision was heavily criticized and revised for Paris 2024 with the combined format of bouldering and lead climbing.
Sport climbing will take place in Los Angeles for the first time in 2028. Program sports instead, that is, as a permanently recognized Olympic sport. Furthermore, in LA there is For the first time, separate medals were awarded for the three disciplines.A total of 76 athletes will be climbing and bouldering for six Olympic medals. That's four more places than at the Paris Games.
This is how the Olympic qualification works
As World Climbing announces, all athletes, regardless of their discipline, will compete in the same events. nine events qualify. The first opportunity to do so is at the 2027 European Games and the Pan American Games. Further opportunities to qualify for the Games include the 2027 World Championships, Continental Cups, and a three-part Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS).
The host nation, the USA, is guaranteed one starting place per gender and discipline. An additional "Universality Place" is also reserved for an athlete who did not qualify through the regular criteria. This serves to ensure broader global representation.
All qualifying events for LA 2028
- European Games | Istanbul, Türkiye (June 2027)
- Pan American Games | Lima, Peru (July 2027)
- World Climbing Championship | Brno, Czech Republic (August 2027)
- World Climbing Africa Qualifier (location & dates to follow)
- World Climbing Asia Qualifier (location & dates to follow)
- World Climbing Oceania Qualifier (location & dates to follow)
- Olympic Qualifier Series 2028: three events (location & dates to follow)
World Climbing stated that the qualification system builds on the proven qualification pathways for Paris and Tokyo: "In the follow-up to Paris, we have implemented – where possible – recommendations from the National Olympic Committees, the international federations, the IOC and other stakeholders."
The qualification systems ensure that athletes have multiple opportunities to qualify, guarantee universal representation, and keep travel costs to a minimum.
World Climbing
Qualification in numbers
The Olympic qualifying spots will be awarded gradually through nine qualifying events. Approximately half are earmarked for the 2027 events (one spot per discipline per event). Athletes can then compete for the remaining spots in the three-part Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in 2028.
Regarding the numbers, World Climbing remains somewhat vague: At least four places for bouldering and lead climbing and six places for speed climbing are to be awarded at the OQS. At the same time, "further starting places may be awarded depending on the host country and the results of the Universality Places."
Basically: Each country may send a maximum of two athletes per gender and discipline to LA.. Across all climbing disciplines, no more than 76 athletes may participate.
Combination of Lead & Bouldering possible, Speed ​​separately
The system developed by World Climbing and the IOC explicitly allows athletes to qualify for both bouldering and lead climbing. Depending on the number of such cases, the number of participants in one of the two disciplines increases. However, the individual still only counts as one athlete – thus maintaining the overall limit of 76 climbers set by the IOC.
An example: Janja Garnbret qualifies for both disciplines. However, for the overall quota, she only counts as one athlete, not two. In Bouldering or Lead, the number of participants then increases by one because Janja has two starting places. Nevertheless, Slovenia is still only allowed to send two athletes per discipline. If two other Slovenians were already qualified for Lead, Janja could therefore only compete in Bouldering.
Only a dual qualification for bouldering and lead climbing is planned. Speed ​​climbing will remain separate and limited to 14 athletes per gender.
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Credits cover photo: IFSC/Drapella/Virt