The IFSC Officials Seminar in Tai’an, China, has successfully concluded, bringing together 71 Officials for two days of discussions, training, and interactive workshops.

Serving as the primary gathering for IFSC Officials, the event provided a platform to reflect on the past season, exchange knowledge, and prepare for an action-packed calendar of competitions in 2025.

The seminar brought together a diverse group of officials, including Event Delegates, Assistant Event Delegates, Routesetters, Para Routesetters, Judges, and Trainers. This marked the first time such a wide range of officials gathered in one seminar, establishing a benchmark for future editions and fostering stronger connections across different officiating roles.

Featuring a mix of plenary and group-specific sessions, the event covered:

• A recap of the 2024 season and IFSC event growth;
• Sport-specific updates, equipment developments, and event management;
• A roundtable with Olympic officials, fostering valuable insights from their experience at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024;
• Appointment process and LA28 appointment roadmap;
• Clarification and enforcement of roles and responsibilities of Events Delegates, Judges, and Routesetters;
• Preparation for Climbing and Para Climbing World Cups with Event Delegates, including event management, contingecy protocols, and trasnfer of knowledge with Assistant Event Delegates;
• Preparation for Climbing and Para Climbing World Cups with Routesetters and Para Routesetters, including routesetting guidelines, and safety protocols;
• Rules update and video analysis of judging and appeals from the past season;
• Interactive sessions on the Boulder wall, enhancing officiating skills;
• Media and communications statistics and guidelines;
• Development and career pathway for IFSC Officials;
• Presentation from IFSC Partner Trango; and
• Presentation from Kailas, as the Seminar also presented the chance to distribute uniforms ahead of the season.

“Being a Judge Level 1, this was my first opportunity to meet other IFSC Judges and Officials. I had the chance to input a lot of knowledge and experience, especially from the Officials of the Olympic Games in Paris. It was quite impressive, that was my favourite moment of the Seminar for sure,” said Jeong Juhyen of South Korea.

WORKSHOPS AND EXERCISES

One of the highlights was the workshop “Building an inclusive team” led by Ms Wang Li and Mr Song Gau, experts of social inclusion at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific.

The two-hour highly participatory and interactive workshop aimed at stimulating attitudinal change and promoting inclusion, addressing key issues such as unsubconscious biases and gender stereotypes, and how to promote inclusion and diversity among officials.

The workshop was followed by some IFSC-led team-building exercises, where groups of Event Delegates, Routesetters, and Judges identified common challenges for each other, and proposed solutions to effectively work as a team. The session aimed at increasing awareness of each others’ roles, team cohesiveness, effective communication, and procedures to apply when running the competition.  

This highly participatory morning session was followed by the gym session where Officials analysed boulders that were set on the wall. The gym session aimed at bridging and enhancing Judges’ and Routesetters’ understanding and awareness of climbing movements related to potential safety and judging incidents.

The seminar also provided an opportunity for the Routesetters and Judges Commissions to hold their meetings, with remote participation available for those unable to attend in person.

Both the IFSC Sport Department and Research & Development Department attended the Seminar in person.

IFSC General Director Piero Rebaudengo said: “We would like to thank the Chinese Mountaineering Association, Mountaineering Sports Management Center of GASC, Shandong Administration of Sports, and Tai’an Municipal People’s Government for their high level organisation and positive support during the seminar. IFSC also thanks all in-person participants and remote participants, IFSC Partner Trango, and Kailas, for their active participation.”

LOOKING AHEAD

With the conclusion of the Tai’an Seminar, IFSC Officials will now finalise their preparation for the first competitions of the season.

“The Seminar was a great opportunity to bring all the Officials together, in person. We don’t get the chance to put a face to a name very often. The community is growing, and it was very useful to have these two days to discuss, bring topics to the table, and prepare together for the season,” said Para Routesetter Maragda Gabarre Flor of Spain.

The first two World Cup events are set to take place in Keqiao, China, from 18 to 20 April, and Wujiang, China, frm 25 to 27, while continental events are kicking off earlier:

• IFSC European Cup in Munich, Germany, from 7 to 8 March; and
• IFSC Asian Cup in Hong Kong, China, from 8 to 9 March.

The next IFSC Officials Seminar is scheduled to take place in February 2026.