Scaling Great Heights

In recent years, organisers of the Olympic Games and the Asian Games decided to introduce urban sports to make them more appealing and relevant to young people. Among the disciplines to benefit from this is sport climbing.

Lead climbing, together with bouldering and speed climbing, are three major categories of sport climbing. Stamina, technique, powers of observation and experience are essential for success.

One chance only

In lead climbing, athletes only have one chance to navigate the course. They are required to use quickdraws and ropes for safety, and their performance is determined by the highest hold reached.

On the other hand, bouldering is a style of climbing that is done without a rope. It is usually limited to short climbs so that a fall will not result in a serious injury.

And speed climbing, as you might have guessed, is all about seeing who is the fastest climber to scale the course.

Developing life skills

China Hong Kong Mountaineering & Climbing Union Vice-President Danny Ho is happy to see the rapid development of sport climbing over the past 10 years.

When talking about the benefits of the sport, he pointed out that it is conducive to the physical and mental development of climbers.

“It is very good for climbers’ co-ordination as well as to help them learn to control their small muscles, especially those for the fingers,” Mr Ho said.

He added that climbers need to overcome failure during practice ­- every time they fall from the climbing course, they need to learn to get up immediately and try again. The sport can therefore affirm their determination to tackle difficulties.

Nurturing new talent

Last year’s Policy Address and the 2023-24 Budget signalled the Government’s intention to promote urban sports, including sport climbing.

Mr Shoji Chan, who has 13 years of experience as a competitive climber, said that Hong Kong will have more elite athletes if the sport becomes popular.

He explained that Hong Kong can grow the number of elite climbers if the overall number of climbers increased. This, he hoped, would help the city improve its performance in international competitions.

As part of efforts to promote the sport, the climbing union will hold fun days, training courses, and regular competitions to attract more teenagers to the climbing community.