Sport climing: New event, new chances for India

Bharath Pereira will be competing in sports climbing at the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta.

Introducing sport climbing is a medal event at the 2018 Asian Games was logical, considering that it has been accepted as one of the events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There are medals on offer for two events – speed climbing and bouldering – for both men and women. The former, as the name suggests, is a race between two climbers on a 15m-tall wall. The second is an endurance test – and the closest to rock climbing – over a fixed time period on a 4m wall that has metal holds and other diversely shaped objects. Sport climbing, in both forms, tests the strength and flexibility of the athletes’ upper and limbs as they work against gravity. India is sending three athletes to participate in sport climbing.