Melbourne will host the International Federation of Sport Climbing Oceania Qualifier 2023 – a qualification event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, from 24 – 26 November this year.

Located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Urban Climb Blackburn will welcome climbers from the Oceania region in the Speed and Boulder & Lead disciplines for both men and women with Olympic qualification at stake.

There will be four Paris 2024 spots available including, one men’s Speed, one women’s Speed, one men’s Boulder & Lead and one women’s Boulder & Lead.

As an important qualifier, Melbourne was chosen as the ideal spot to host the event with its rich Olympic history as the first hosts of an Olympic Games staged in the Southern hemisphere in 1956.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “Melbourne is a perfect city to host such an important event for the region and on the road to Paris. It will be the second time that Australia has been part of our Olympic journey, and in cities with great historic links to the Games.

“From the first Oceania qualifier for Tokyo 2020 in Sydney, and now Melbourne for Paris 2024, Australia has been with us every step of our Olympic journey so far. I look forward to an exciting event with our friends at Sport Climbing Australia and welcoming more athlete’s that will join us at our second Olympic competition.”

The event will be part funded by the IFSC and the Victorian Government, through the Significant Sporting Events Program which supports organisations to deliver national, international or regionally significant events. 

The IFSC Oceania Qualifier 2023 will be one of a series of five standalone continental Olympic qualification events from which athletes gaining qualification will join climbers who have already secured their place at the summer showpiece from the IFSC Climbing World Championships Bern 2023. 

Article first posted by IFSC.