The action hasn’t even begun for Sport Climbing’s second appearance at an Olympic Games, but the legacy plan is already in place for development of the sport around the world following its conclusion.

Once the climbers have competed, the medals have been won and the Olympians return home, equipment from Paris 2024 will have already started its journey to five destinations across the globe.

The Holds, Macros and Volumes – or simply put, the colourful objects attached to the wall that make the routes – will be distributed across five continents for use by IFSC member federations to help grow climbing in the region.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “Our philosophy is, and has always been, to ‘make the world better through climbing’, so legacy is a very important part of that for the IFSC. The distribution of the Olympic equipment will be a source of inspiration long after the Games is over.

“The Le Bourget Climbing venue that will host our second Olympic appearance at Paris 2024 was always intended to leave a legacy within the host city, and we are happy to be adding and strengthening that legacy by leaving some of the holds we will use right here, at their new home, where they belong.”

The legacy plan in Europe by Paris 2024 and for the Le Bourget area will see the isolation and warm up area used during the Games repurposed and turned into a public climbing gym that will be named ‘Marie Paradis’ in honour of the first woman to climb Mont Blanc.

For Asia, Jordan will be the destination; material will be used to host regional and continental clinics and educational courses for officials, coaches, and athletes, which will be organised together with the IFSC Research and Development Department. All Member Federations in West Asia region will be invited to participate to such activities with the intention of growing the sport in their area. 

For Africa, South Africa will be the recipients; and for Oceania, Australia will receive holds; in both cases, part of the equipment will be used exclusively for Continental competitions happening in 2025 and 2026; and another part will be re-distributed within the continent and used in workshops and clinics aimed at developing the sport. 

In Pan America, El Salvador will receive holds from Paris 2024, but the region is also seen as an area of targeted growth with further legacy and development programs in the works.

Climbers from the Pan American region were part of the IFSC Universality Program that focussed on exposing selected athletes to international competition with dedicated coaching and travel expenses covered by the IFSC and through Olympic Solidarity funding.

More training and clinics are planned for Costa Rica at the end of 2024 with the IFSC’s ambition to build the first Speed climbing wall in the country dependant on further funding approval.

The material supplied for use at Paris 2024 was done so with the agreement in place that it would be distributed by the IFSC as a legacy for development of Sport Climbing after the Olympic Games.

The selected brands that make up the P24 Online Catalogue: Holds, Macros, and Volumes for Sport Climbing events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 are:

• P24 Holds: Cheeta, eXpression Holds, Flathold, Squadra;
• P24 Macros: 360 Holds, Cheeta, Flathold, Rockcity;
• P24 Volumes: Blocz, Cheeta, Squadra.

Not only the Holds, Macros and Volumes, but all of the equipment used during the Games – the mats, the walls, the autobelay systems – are all intended to be reused in the future with planning ongoing with suppliers EP Climbing and Perfect Descent to determine how that will look.