2019 IFSC Climbing World Cup Is Coming to Chongqing, SW China

By Yuling Chen, iChongqing News

Chongqing-The IFSC Climbing World Cup-Chongqing 2019 will start in Chongqing, China, from April 26^th to 28^th. By then, more than 400 athletes from 40 countries and regions will compete in the Huayan Climbing Park in Jiulongpo District, downtown Chongqing.

The IFSC Climbing World Cup-Chongqing 2019 will start in Chongqing, China, from April 26th to 28th according to the press conference held on April 1^st.

The sport will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of Chongqing Administration of Sport, revealed that 2019 is the year of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. Only 40 top players in the world are eligible to display themselves on the Tokyo Olympic stage next year. Rankings this year play a crucial role in whether athletes can be qualified for the Olympics. The top 20 athletes of the World Cup for men and women will have the opportunity to participate in the finals held in France at the end of this year. Moreover, the top six men and women, respectively, in the finals will get the qualification to compete for gold in Tokyo.

2018 IFSC Climbing World Cup-Chongqing (Photo by Tang Yi)

This year marks the eighth consecutive year that the top event in sport climbing has settled in Chongqing Municipality and the sixth in a row in Jiulongpo District.

China will send a strong lineup. Pan Yufei made history in the Asian Youth Championships held in Chongqing in 2018 and won the championship of male juniors boulder. This time, the 19-year-old boy will work hard for his Olympic dream. At the same time, Zhang Yuetong, a 16-year-old "genius girl", will compete with the world's top players for the World Cup.

 In terms of venue facilities, this competition will continue to take place in Chongqing Huayan Climbing Park, where has walls for boulder, speed and lead. It covers an area of about 1,100 square meters and is the largest climbing site in Southwest China. It meets requirements to present world-class sport climbing events like the World and Championships.

After the completion of the 2019 IFSC Climbing World Cup-Chongqing on April 28th, the National Youth Sports Club League Climbing Competition Finals will be held at the same venue from April 30^th to May 1^st.