Sport Climbing’s three disciplines – Boulder, Lead, and Speed – will each get standalone medals for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. Earlier today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced an increase in both medals and athlete quota for Sport Climbing, alongside the full event program for the Games.

“The IOC Executive Board has approved six events for men’s and women’s Lead, Speed, and Boulder climbing, with a total quota of 76 athletes (38 women and 38 men),” said a communication from the IOC. “The specific allocation of these quota places across the events will be finalized in the Olympic Qualification System, including the potential for athletes to compete in multiple events.”

At Tokyo 2020, Sport Climbing’s Olympic debut, athletes competed in one combined format offering one set of medals per gender. At Paris 2024, athletes competed in a Speed event and a combined Boulder & Lead event, doubling the number of medals from Tokyo. The Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 will be the first to offer three sets of medals per gender, allowing athletes to specialize in each of the three disciplines.

“We are thrilled to see Boulder, Lead, and Speed all as medal events on the biggest stage in sport,” said Marc Norman, President and CEO of USA Climbing. “more medals means specialists will have an opportunity to compete in their preferred discipline, which continues to raise the level of performance that fans see at the Olympic Games. We can’t wait to see the continued growth of the sport beyond LA28!”

In an update from the International Federation of Sport Climbing, President Marco Scolaris said, “From the very beginning of our Olympic journey we have always had the target of three sets of medals for our athletes. Each of our disciplines has its own unique strengths, and now everyone will see these at LA28.”

The Olympic Games LA28 will take place July 14-30, 2028. The news follows the addition of Para Climbing to the Paralympic Games, August 15-27, 2028. USA Climbing looks forward to the announcement of the full event program for the Paralympic Games soon.

The latest information and updates about the Games can be found at LA28.org.