Olympic Qualifier Series - how it works and who is competing for a spot
Written by Jessica Birchall
This summer Sport Climbing makes its second appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris. The boulder and lead combined event will take place with 20 male and 20 female athletes competing in both disciplines for a combined score, with the hopes of a finals spot and a podium finish.
Excluding the 8 athletes, per gender, who have already secured their Olympic quota places, the top 48 men and top 48 women from the IFSC world ranking, will be invited to compete at the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in May and June 2024. The OQS is a two part series taking place in Shanghai and Budapest to award the remaining quota spaces to the deserving athletes.
Full list of athletes competing at OQS: https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/olympic-games/olympic-qualifier-series
Athletes will be ranked based on their performance at each of the two events and will get corresponding points for their rank. The two points will be added together after the second and final event in Budapest in June, and the top 10 from both the male and female category will win their ticket to the Olympics to represent their country.
With world-class climbers such as Janja Garnbret (SLO), Natalia Grossman(USA), Sorato Anraku(JPN) and Toby Roberts(GBR) already guaranteed their tickets to compete in Paris, the field is looking incredibly strong and we’re getting excited for an amazing competition.
Hopeful athletes competing in this qualification series include Olympic medalists from the 2020 Games: Miho Nonaka(JPN) and Alberto Gines-Lopez (ESP), as well as younger climbers hoping to make their Olympic debut: Mejdi Schalck(FRA) and Dohyun Lee (KOR).
We are wishing all the athletes competing the best of luck in the two upcoming events, one thing is guaranteed, it’s going to be an amazing watch for spectators.