North Vancouver sport climber one to watch at Tokyo Olympics

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Sport climbing will make its Olympic debut at the Tokyo games in 2020, and with the world’s top-ranked climber hailing from North Vancouver, Canada’s medal hopes are high.

Sean McColl, 28, is the current overall world champion in the sport and “the guy to watch” according to Sport Climbing BC president Iain Stewart-Patterson.

McColl writes on Facebook “the feeling is a bit surreal that my life long goal of being an Olympian could actually come true!”

Sport climbing is split into three disciplines: lead climbing is about who can get the highest, bouldering is about who can climb the hardest section, and speed climbing is about can get to the top fastest.

Stewart-Patterson says the sport is popular in BC, with about 500 athletes competing on the provincial level, and 10 to 15 sport climbing gyms in the Vancouver area alone. He says having it included in the Olympics “lends a level of legitimacy to competition climbing that we haven’t had before.”

The International Olympic Committee is trying to attract younger viewers to the games, which helps to explain the addition of skateboarding and surfing. While sport climbing is a full medal sport in 2020, its place in the 2024 games is not guaranteed.

 

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