CWA Blog Archive-Holding Climbing Events In The COVID Era

Holding Climbing Events In The COVID Era

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This article uses the IFSC World Cup in Salt Lake City as a case study in successfully holding large climbing events during the pandemic. It opens with an electric scene: USA Climbing athlete Natalia Grossman launching up the final boulder problem of the event's second weekend, the 3,000-person crowd fists to the sky in exuberance. Grossman took Gold and Olympic athlete Brooke Raboutou took Bronze, with about 8,000 visitors attending over the two weekends. The author reflects on how the pandemic changed both how athletes perform and how spectators watch, recalling the eerie photos of cardboard cutouts in arena stands worldwide. The Salt Lake City event's outdoor space felt reminiscent of pre-pandemic times despite the masked mass of people, who showed up and filled the space, often very close together. 23 countries sent athletes to the final weekend. Crucially, even though a COVID-19 case was reported, the event was held and went off without issues or outbreaks. According to an IFSC statement, more than 150 COVID tests were conducted when one positive result came through, and management quickly implemented their planned protocols. The throughline is that large climbing events could be held safely during the pandemic through careful planning and prepared protocols, as the IFSC World Cup demonstrated. For operators considering events during COVID, the article offers a practical model: thorough preparation and ready-to-deploy protocols make it possible to hold major events safely even when a positive case inevitably appears.

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This piece uses the Salt Lake City IFSC World Cup, drawing 8,000 visitors and athletes from 23 countries, as a case study in safely holding large climbing events during COVID. When a positive case emerged, organizers conducted 150+ tests and executed planned protocols, and the event went off without outbreaks, showing preparation makes safe events possible.