Barcelona’s Sharma Climbing Gym to host test race for Boulder and Lead event

In a precursor to the Boulder & Lead format which will make its debut at the European Championships in August, Barcelona’s Sharma Gym will host a test competition in Gavà, Spain March 4 and 5.

Unlike the Combined format that debuted in Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 will feature the new Boulder & Lead discipline, with separate medals for the Speed and Lead climbers.

Only Spanish athletes are eligible to enter the test event, with reigning Olympic gold medalist Alberto Ginés Lopez leading the charge. Three International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) officials will also attend the competition.

“We are very excited to be able to carry out the first Olympic rehearsal with the new format that will be used in Paris 2024. Being able to experiment it with the Spanish team, led by the current Olympic Champion Alberto Ginés López, is a dream come true. It’s a huge honor to be a benchmark in the world of climbing and to help project the sport that has shaped me and given me the greatest joy,” said owner of the Sharma Gym Chris Sharma.

Sharma Climbing Gavà, located in the suburbs of Barcelona, is owned and operated by climbing legend Chris Sharma. The Santa Cruz, California native earned an enduring reputation as one of the world’s best rock climbers for record-setting redpoints and deep-water solos in the 2000s to mid 2010s.

“We are delighted to hold this test event in Barcelona, in the home country of one of our first two Olympic champions. It is a true pleasure to meet again with a climbing legend and friend like Chris, and to see the passion that he and the whole Sharma Climbing organization put into this event,” said IFSC President Marco Scolaris.