By the end of the week the Paris 2024 Sport Climbing start list will be complete as the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) comes to it’s climax in Budapest, Hungary from 20-23 June.

From the 160 climbers – 80 men and 80 women – the final Olympic tickets will be secured as event scores are tallied together from Shanghai, China and Budapest to give the chosen few their 2024 summer plans. A full list of participants can be found here.

The second of two events in the OQS, Budapest will be a celebration of sport and culture, with music, fashion and art combining with the sporting competition to create a high energy festival experience in the Hungarian capital.

Forty-eight Boulder & Lead men and 48 women will be whittled down to 12 from each to join the eight that have already secured their spot from previous awarding events such as the IFSC Climbing World Championships and the Continental qualifiers held throughout the world in 2023.

In the Speed discipline, there are seven tickets for men and seven for women who will compete against the seven from each category that also confirmed their Paris tickets in  2023.

Sitting in pole position from the first event in Shanghai, and securing 50 points toward their series totals were the USA’s Brook Raboutou, South Korea’s Lee Dohyun and Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo.

About winning in China, Raboutou said: “⁠It felt great to win the Shanghai event and especially show some climbing I was really proud of in the Boulder round. The event left me proud of the work I’ve put in and motivated to keep pushing.”

For the men’s Speed winner Leonardo, the top spot only added more fuel to the fire: “I am very happy with the victory in Shanghai. Now I am more motivated in training, I focus on what my strengths are rather than my weaknesses and of course I'm ready for Budapest!”

Whilst training is with more motivation for Leonardo, for Lee it’s a little more precarious: “I’m training hard, but I got a big shoulder injury a some days ago, so I’m thinking about what to do in the future.”

Only four people can win each event, but there are also many more still have the same aspirations of reaching Paris 2024. Spain’s Speed climber Leslie Adriana Romero Perez for one.

After finishing in 12th at the first OQS, Romero Perez reflected saying: “After Shanghai I felt motivated and wanting to go home and prepare for Budapest. It was a rather tough competition, stressful and exciting at the same time, but I was happy to live this experience.

“My training has continued just as strong with a small stage of hard training and with good feelings. Although I must admit that this last week has been very stressful with many ups and down of emotions, going from being very happy to crying and getting frustrated, but I am sure that it is part of the process and that Budapest will be a tough competition for everyone because it is the last chance to qualify.”

No doubt everyone’s goal in Budapest is the same, finish as high as possible and be in with a shot of securing a Paris 2024 ticket. But what would that mean for each of the climbers were it to come true?

Raboutou said: “It would mean a whole lot. I have worked very hard these past couple years and would really love to be back on the Olympic stage doing what I love.”

For Lee it’s quite simple: ⁠”I think it will be one of the biggest happiness in my life.”

Veddriq sees the scale of what he could achieve and said: “It means I will have a part in sports history and that is something to be proud of. Happiness for me and the people who support me. It's every athlete's dream these days, and for sure it’s mine also.”  

Dream is the right word for Romero Perez also: “It would mean being able to realise my dream, I have dreamed and struggled to be in Paris 2024 for a long time, although I already feel proud, happy for all the challenges overcome and all the work done,

“I made important changes in my life to be able to fight for the opportunity, and I never imagined that I could be so close. Honestly, it would be an achievement not only for me but for my family, my coach and for all the people who have accompanied me in the process, those who are now and those who have inspired and guided me since the beginning.”

The Budapest event will see the athletes competing in BMX freestyle, Breaking, Sport Climbing and Skateboarding. The competitions will take place at the Ludovika Campus, a university campus centrally located in Budapest that can accommodate up to 10,000 spectators daily and offers free entry to the public.

SCHEDULE (UTC +2:00)

Thursday 20 June

• 12:00 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Qualification, Boulder
• 12:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Qualification, Boulder

Friday 21 June

• 10:00 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Qualification, Lead
• 10:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Qualification, Lead
• 17:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Speed - Qualification
• 17:50 - Sport climbing - Men's Speed - Qualification

Saturday 22 June

• 10:00 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Semi-final, Boulder
• 10:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Semi-final, Boulder
• 14:00 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Semi-final, Lead
• 14:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Semi-final, Lead
• 18:15 - Sport climbing – Men’s and Women's Speed Finals

Sunday 23 June

• 10:00 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Final, Boulder
• 12:05 - Sport climbing - Women's Boulder & Lead - Final, Lead
• 15:30 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Final, Boulder
• 17:35 - Sport climbing - Men's Boulder & Lead - Final, Lead

HOW TO WATCH

The action from Budapest will be streamed live, for free, and without subscription to a worldwide audience on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for Paris 2024.