The UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation – and la Fédération Française des clubs alpins et de montagne (FFCAM) have been informed by the French Alps 2030 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games that Ice Climbing will not be included in the proposal for additional sports to be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The French Alps 2030 organisers praised the UIAA and FFCAM for their proposal:
“This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the quality of the application presented by your Federation. On the contrary, your candidature demonstrated many compelling strengths, including the sport’s strong connection to the mountain environment, its growing international reach, and the commitment shown by your community to the development of the discipline.”
UIAA President Peter Muir reflected on the decision and thanked those who had supported the objective:
“Being part of the official sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030 has been a longstanding ambition of the UIAA and the World Ice Climbing Board. A significant amount of work went into the candidature and I would like to thank FFCAM and World Ice Climbing, who worked tirelessly and with great dedication towards this goal.
Entry into the Olympic competition programme has only ever been one part of the strategic vision for competition ice climbing. We would like to stress to officials, athletes and the entire ice climbing community that the UIAA and the World Ice Climbing Board will continue to prioritise the development and growth of the sport, with significant progress already made since the restructuring of ice climbing operations in 2024. The success of the 2025-26 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour was the first step on this journey.”
World Ice Climbing Board Chair JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson looks to the future with optimism:
“The World Ice Climbing Board will continue to strive towards delivering its major development objectives – notably welcoming new competition venues to the calendar and working with federations to create pathways for more athletes, especially in youth categories. We are simultaneously developing our education programmes for officials and ensuring our sport is as fair, sustainable and safe as possible.”
For any specific questions please contact Rob Adie, UIAA Sports Events Coordinator:
[email protected]
Further Information
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Photo: UIAA Ice Climbing Continental Cup 2026: Malbun, Liechtenstein. Credit: UIAA / Daniel Mangeng