World Climbing Championship
Biennial event
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World Climbing Championship, formerly known as the IFSC Climbing World Championships, is the biennial world championship event for competition climbing that is organized by the World Climbing. This event determines the male and female world champions in the three disciplines of competition climbing: competition lead climbing, competition bouldering, and competition speed climbing. Since 2012, a combined ranking is also determined, for climbers competing in all disciplines, and additional medals are awarded based on that ranking.[1][2][3][4] The first event was organized in Frankfurt in 1991.
History
Creation and organizers
In 1991, the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) organized the competition climbing championships. The International Council for Competition Climbing (ICC) was created in 1997 as an internal body of the UIAA to take charge of competition climbing.[5]
In 2007, the independent IFSC was created as a continuation of the ICC to govern competition climbing.
In 2025, the event was renamed World Climbing Championship, following IFSC's renaming to World Climbing.
Events
The present format has four disciplines: lead, speed, bouldering, and combined.
The first championships had two events: lead and speed. Bouldering was added in 2001.
In 2012, 2014 and 2016, a combined ranking (sometimes also called overall ranking) was computed for climbers participating in all of the three events.[1][2][3] In 2018, a specific combined event was included which the six climbers with highest overall ranking[6][7] were invited to enter. The combined event requires athletes to compete in all three disciplines, and they receive a single combined score based on all three results. Scores achieved in single-discipline events are not relevant to the combined score, and there are no awards for any one part of the combined event. The 2018 combined event tested the new Olympic Games format, which was used at the first appearance of climbing at the Olympics in 2020. In 2019 the Combined competition was held again with the best eight men's and women's athletes receiving invitations to the 2020 Olympics.
In 2011, the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships were established. The event is usually held alongside the open class competition. Para athletes compete in lead only, except for 2011 when a speed climbing competition was held as well.
Years
The World Championships are held every two years. Twice, the cycle has been moved to the other year and in those cases this was done by holding the next championship one year earlier. In 2012 the World Championships were shifted to even years to avoid interference with the 2013 World Games climbing event and to give a supplementary opportunity to demonstrate the sport for a possible integration into the 2020 Olympic Games. In 2019 the World Championships were again held one year early, to now allow the Championships to be the year before each Olympics to operate as a qualifier event.[citation needed]
Championships
| Edition | Year | Location | Date(s) | Disciplines | Athletes | Nations | Website | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | L | S | B | C | Para | ||||||||
| 1 | 1991 |  Frankfurt |
1–2 October | 2 | X | X | - | - | - | 110 | 22 | [8] | |
| 2 | 1993 |  Innsbruck |
29–30 April | 2 | X | X | - | - | - | 127 | 23 | [9] | |
| 3 | 1995 |  Geneva |
5–6 May | 2 | X | X | - | - | - | 135 | 24 | [10] | |
| 4 | 1997 |  Paris |
31 January–1 February | 2 | X | X | - | - | - | 153 | 26 | [11] | |
| 5 | 1999 |  Birmingham |
2–3 December | 2 | X | X | - | - | - | 180 | 30 | [12] | |
| 6 | 2001 | Winterthur |
5–8 September | 3 | X | X | X | - | - | 198 | 25 | [13] | |
| 7 | 2003 | Chamonix |
9–13 July | 3 | X | X | X | - | - | 241 | 34 | [14] | |
| 8 | 2005 | Munich |
1–5 July | 3 | X | X | X | - | - | 318 | 51 | [15] | |
| 9 | 2007 |  Avilés |
17–23 September | 3 | X | X | X | - | - | 302 | 50 | [16] | |
| 10 | 2009 |  Xining |
30 June – 5 July | 4 | X | X | X | - | - | 219 | 44 | [17] | |
| 11 | 2011 |  Arco |
15–24 July | 4 | X | X | X | - | X | 374 | 56 | [18] | |
| 12 | 2012 | Paris |
12–16 September | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | 331 | 56 | [19][1] | |
| 13 | 2014 | Munich |
21–23 August | 1 | - | - | X | - | - | 509 | 52 | [20][2] | |
| Gijón |
8–14 September | 4 | X | X | - | X | X | ||||||
| 14 | 2016 | Paris |
14–18 September | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | 533 | 53 | [21][3][22] | |
| 15 | 2018 | Innsbruck |
6–16 September | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | 834 | 58 | [23][4] | |
| 16 | 2019 | Briançon |
16–17 July | 1 | - | - | - | - | X | ||||
 Hachioji |
11–21 August | 4 | X | X | X | X | - | 253 | 39 | [24][25] | |||
| 17 | 2021 |  Moscow |
15–21 September | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | [26] | |||
| 18 | 2023 | Bern |
1–12 August | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
| 19 | 2025 |  Seoul[27] |
21-28 September | 4 | X | X | X | X | |||||
| 20 | 2027 |  Brno[28] |
5 | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
Medals
As of 2025 IFSC Climbing World Championships (excluding paraclimbing medals)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 16 | 14 | 23 | 53 |
| 2 | Austria | 15 | 7 | 8 | 30 |
| 3 | France | 14 | 19 | 17 | 50 |
| 4 |  Slovenia | 11 | 8 | 5 | 24 |
| 5 |  Ukraine | 11 | 7 | 5 | 23 |
| 6 | Japan | 7 | 10 | 9 | 26 |
| 7 | Czech Republic | 6 | 10 | 4 | 20 |
| 8 | China | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 9 |  Poland | 6 | 4 | 9 | 19 |
| 10 | Italy | 6 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 11 | South Korea | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
| 12 | Spain | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 13 |  United States | 3 | 9 | 6 | 18 |
| 14 | Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| 15 |  Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | Germany | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| 17 |  Belgium | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 18 |  Iran | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 |  Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 |  Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 21 |  Venezuela | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 23 |  Serbia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 24 |  Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (24 entries) | 121 | 121 | 123 | 365 | |
Note 1: share medals in 2007 IFSC Climbing World Championships
Note 2: one silver medal in 2021 IFSC Climbing World Championships for Climbing Federation of Russia
Men's results
Lead
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | François Legrand |
 Yuji Hirayama |
Guido Köstermeyer |
| 1993 | François Legrand (2) |
Stefan Glowacz |
Yuji Hirayama |
| 1995 | François Legrand (3) |
Arnaud Petit |
Elie Chevieux |
| 1997 | François Petit |
 Chris Sharma |
François Legrand |
| 1999 | Bernardino Lagni |
Yuji Hirayama |
Maksym Petrenko |
| 2001 | Gérôme Pouvreau |
Tomáš Mrázek |
François Petit |
| 2003 | Tomáš Mrázek |
Patxi Usobiaga |
David Caude |
| 2005 | Tomáš Mrázek (2) |
Patxi Usobiaga |
Alexandre Chabot |
| 2007 | Ramón Julián |
Patxi Usobiaga |
Cédric Lachat Tomáš Mrázek Jorg Verhoeven |
| 2009 | Patxi Usobiaga |
Adam Ondra |
David Lama |
| 2011 | Ramón Julián (2) |
Jakob Schubert |
Adam Ondra |
| 2012 | Jakob Schubert |
Sean McColl |
Adam Ondra |
| 2014 | Adam Ondra |
Ramón Julián |
Sachi Amma |
| 2016 | Adam Ondra (2) |
Jakob Schubert |
Gautier Supper |
| 2018 | Jakob Schubert (2) |
Adam Ondra |
Alexander Megos |
| 2019 | Adam Ondra (3) |
Alexander Megos |
Jakob Schubert |
| 2021 | Jakob Schubert (3) |
Luka Potočar |
Hamish McArthur |
| 2023 | Jakob Schubert (4) |
Sorato Anraku |
Alexander Megos |
| 2025 | Lee Dohyun |
Satone Yoshida |
Taisei Homma |
Speed
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Hans Florine |
Jacky Godoffe |
Kairat Rachmetov |
| 1993 | Vladimir Netsvetaïev |
Serik Kazbekov |
Yevgen Kryvosheytsev |
| 1995 | Andrey Vedenmeer |
Milan Benian |
Vladimir Netsvetaïev |
| 1997 | Daniel Andrada |
Yevgen Kryvosheytsev |
Dmitrij Byčkov |
| 1999 | Vladimir Zakharov |
Vladimir Netsvetaïev |
Alexey Gadeev |
| 2001 | Maksym Styenkovyy |
Vladimir Zakharov |
Tomasz Oleksy |
| 2003 | Maksym Styenkovyy (2) |
Tomasz Oleksy |
Alexandr Pechekhonov |
| 2005 | Evgeny Vaitcekhovsky |
Maksym Styenkovyy |
Sergey Sinitsyn |
| 2007 | Zhong Qixin |
Manuel Escobar |
Sergey Sinitsyn |
| 2009 (10 m) | Zhong Qixin (2) |
Alexandr Nigmatulin |
Ivan Novikov |
| 2009 (15 m)[29] | Zhong Qixin (3) |
Sergey Abdrakhmanov |
Ning Zhang |
| 2011 | Zhong Qixin (4) |
Stanislav Kokorin |
Danyil Boldyrev |
| 2012 | Zhong Qixin (5) |
Libor Hroza |
Dmitry Timofeev |
| 2014 | Danyil Boldyrev |
Stanislav Kokorin |
Reza Alipour |
| 2016 | Marcin Dzieński |
Reza Alipour |
Alexandr Shikov |
| 2018 | Reza Alipour |
Bassa Mawem |
Stanislav Kokorin |
| 2019 | Ludovico Fossali |
Jan Kříž |
Stanislav Kokorin |
| 2021 | Danyil Boldyrev (2) |
Erik Noya Cardona |
Noah Bratschi |
| 2023 | Matteo Zurloni |
Long Jinbao |
Rahmad Adi Mulyono |
| 2025 | Long Jianguo |
Leander Carmanns |
Zach Hammer |
Bouldering
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mauro Calibani |
Frédéric Tuscan |
Christian Core |
| 2003 | Christian Core |
Jérôme Meyer |
Tomasz Oleksy |
| 2005 | Salavat Rachmetov |
Kilian Fischhuber |
Gérôme Pouvreau |
| 2007 | Dmitri Sarafutdinov |
Martin Stráník |
Cédric Lachat |
| 2009 | Alexey Rubtsov |
Rustam Gelmanov |
David Barrans |
| 2011 | Dmitri Sarafutdinov (2) |
Adam Ondra |
Rustam Gelmanov |
| 2012 | Dmitri Sarafutdinov (3) |
Kilian Fischhuber |
Rustam Gelmanov |
| 2014 | Adam Ondra |
Jernej Kruder |
Jan Hojer |
| 2016 | Tomoa Narasaki |
Adam Ondra |
Manuel Cornu |
| 2018 | Kai Harada |
Jongwon Chon |
Gregor Vezonik |
| 2019 | Tomoa Narasaki (2) |
Jakob Schubert |
Yannick Flohé |
| 2021 | Kokoro Fujii |
Tomoa Narasaki |
Manuel Cornu |
| 2023 | Mickael Mawem |
Mejdi Schalck |
Lee Do-hyun |
| 2025 | Sorato Anraku |
Mejdi Schalck |
Lee Do-hyun |
Combined
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012[1] | Sean McColl |
Thomas Tauporn |
Cédric Lachat |
| 2014[2] | Sean McColl (2) |
Jan Hojer |
Alban Levier |
| 2016[3][22] | Sean McColl (3) |
Manuel Cornu |
David Firnenburg |
| 2018[4] | Jakob Schubert |
Adam Ondra |
Jan Hojer |
| 2019 | Tomoa Narasaki |
Jakob Schubert |
Rishat Khaibullin |
| 2021 | Yannick Flohé |
Philipp Martin |
Fedir Samoilov |
| 2023 | Jakob Schubert (2) |
Colin Duffy |
Tomoa Narasaki |
Women's Results
Lead
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Susi Good |
Isabelle Patissier |
Robyn Erbesfield |
| 1993 | Susi Good (2) |
Robyn Erbesfield |
Isabelle Patissier |
| 1995 | Robyn Erbesfield |
Laurence Guyon |
Liv Sansoz |
| 1997 | Liv Sansoz |
Muriel Sarkany |
Marietta Uhden |
| 1999 | Liv Sansoz (2) |
Muriel Sarkany |
Yelena Ovchinnikova |
| 2001 | Martina Čufar |
Muriel Sarkany |
Chloé Minoret |
| 2003 | Muriel Sarkany |
Emilie Pouget |
Sandrine Levet |
| 2005 | Angela Eiter |
Emily Harrington |
Akiyo Noguchi |
| 2007 | Angela Eiter (2) |
Muriel Sarkany |
Maja Vidmar |
| 2009 | Johanna Ernst |
Kim Ja-in |
Maja Vidmar |
| 2011 | Angela Eiter (3) |
Kim Ja-in |
Magdalena Röck |
| 2012 | Angela Eiter (4) |
Kim Ja-in |
Johanna Ernst |
| 2014 | Kim Ja-in |
Mina Markovič |
Magdalena Röck |
| 2016 | Janja Garnbret |
Anak Verhoeven |
Mina Markovič |
| 2018 | Jessica Pilz |
Janja Garnbret |
Kim Ja-in |
| 2019 | Janja Garnbret (2) |
Mia Krampl |
Ai Mori |
| 2021 | Seo Chae-hyun |
Natalia Grossman |
Laura Rogora |
| 2023 | Ai Mori |
Janja Garnbret |
Seo Chae-hyun |
| 2025 | Janja Garnbret (3) |
Rosa Rekar |
Seo Chae-hyun |
Speed
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Isabelle Dorsimond |
Agnès Brard |
Venera Chereshneva |
| 1993 | Olga Bibik |
Isabelle Dorsimond |
Renata Piszczek |
| 1995 | Natalie Richer |
Cécile Avezou |
Renata Piszczek |
| 1997 | Tatiana Ruyga |
Irina Zaytseva |
Olga Bibik |
| 1999 | Olga Zakharova |
Olena Ryepko |
Natalia Novikova |
| 2001 | Olena Ryepko |
Maya Piratinskaya |
Svetlana Sutkina |
| 2003 | Olena Ryepko (2) |
Tatiana Ruyga |
Valentina Yurina |
| 2005 | Olena Ryepko (3) |
Valentina Yurina |
Edyta Ropek |
| 2007 | Tatiana Ruyga (2) |
Edyta Ropek |
Valentina Yurina |
| 2009 (10 m) | He Cuilian |
He Cuifang |
Li Chunhua |
| 2009 (15 m) | He Cuilian (2) |
He Cuifang |
Li Chunhua |
| 2011 | Maria Krasavina |
Anna Tsyganova |
Tamara Kuznetsova |
| 2012 | Yulia Levochkina |
Iuliia Kaplina |
Natalia Titova |
| 2014 | Alina Gaidamakina |
Klaudia Buczek |
Aleksandra Rudzińska (later with last name: Mirosław) |
| 2016 | Anna Tsyganova |
Anouck Jaubert |
Iuliia Kaplina |
| 2018 | Aleksandra Mirosław |
Anna Brożek |
Maria Krasavina |
| 2019 | Aleksandra Mirosław (2) |
Di Niu |
Anouck Jaubert |
| 2021 | Natalia Kałucka |
 Iuliia Kaplina |
Aleksandra Mirosław |
| 2023 | Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi |
Emma Hunt |
Aleksandra Mirosław |
| 2025 | Aleksandra Mirosław (3) |
Deng Lijuan |
Zhou Yafei |
Bouldering
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Myriam Motteau |
Sandrine Levet |
Nataliya Perlova |
| 2003 | Sandrine Levet |
Nataliya Perlova |
Fanny Rogeaux |
| 2005 | Olga Shalagina |
Julija Abramčuková |
Věra Kotasová-Kostruhová |
| 2007 | Anna Stöhr |
Akiyo Noguchi |
Olga Bibik |
| 2009 | Julija Abramčuková |
Olga Shalagina |
Anna Stöhr |
| 2011 | Anna Stöhr (2) |
Sasha DiGiulian |
Juliane Wurm |
| 2012 | Mélanie Sandoz |
Olga Yakovleva |
Anna Stöhr |
| 2014 | Juliane Wurm |
Alex Puccio |
Akiyo Noguchi |
| 2016 | Petra Klingler |
Miho Nonaka |
Akiyo Noguchi |
| 2018 | Janja Garnbret |
Akiyo Noguchi |
Staša Gejo |
| 2019 | Janja Garnbret (2) |
Akiyo Noguchi |
Shauna Coxsey |
| 2021 | Natalia Grossman |
Camilla Moroni |
Staša Gejo |
| 2023 | Janja Garnbret (3) |
Oriane Bertone |
Brooke Raboutou |
| 2025 | Janja Garnbret (4) |
Oriane Bertone |
Melina Costanza |
Combined
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Kim Ja-in |
Cécile Avezou |
Petra Klingler |
| 2014[2] | Charlotte Durif |
Petra Klingler |
Mina Markovič |
| 2016[3][22] | Jelena Krasovská |
Claire Buhrfeind |
Charlotte Durif |
| 2018[4] | Janja Garnbret |
Sa Sol |
Jessica Pilz |
| 2019 | Janja Garnbret (2) |
Akiyo Noguchi |
Shauna Coxsey |
| 2021 | Jessica Pilz |
Mia Krampl |
Elnaz Rekabi |
| 2023 | Janja Garnbret (3) |
Jessica Pilz |
Ai Mori |
