Para Climbing to be a part of LA28 Paralympic Games 

Para Climbing is set to make its debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. The announcement came on Wednesday, June 26, after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board approved a proposal from the LA28 Organizing Committee to include Para Climbing in the 2028 Paralympic Sport Programme.

Climbing first featured in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, marking a significant milestone for the sport. With the inclusion of Para Climbing in the Paralympics, the sport's growth trajectory looks promising.

Marco Scolaris, president of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), couldn’t hide his excitement and thanked the IPC for the inclusion of Para Climbing.

“When Climbing got its first Olympic Games, it was a dream come true, and the same will happen at LA28 when we see our great Para Climbing athletes in action. Thank you to the IPC for welcoming us as part of the Paralympic family, but thanks must also go to the LA28 organizing committee for believing in our sport and making history for both of us,” said Marco Scolaris in a statement.

Scolaris emphasized that this inclusion provides a platform to demonstrate the positive impact climbing can have on the world.

“By proposing climbing as an additional sport, they have given us another opportunity to fulfill our purpose – to make the world a better place through climbing. All of our Para athletes do this every day, and now they can do it on the world stage for all to see at the Paralympic Games,” Scolaris added.

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Para Climbing to be among the 23 sports played at the LA28 Paralympic Games

A record 33 sports applied to the IPC for inclusion in the LA28 Paralympic Games. After an extensive evaluation process, the IPC approved 22 sports in January 2023 and granted LA28 the opportunity to potentially include either Para Climbing or Para Surfing, both of which had not been featured before at the Paralympic Games.

Ultimately, the IPC approved Para Climbing, bringing the total count of sports in the LA28 Paralympic Games to 23.

“By 2028, Para climbing will be the fifth new sport on the Paralympic sport programme in the last 12 years, underlining the IPC’s desire to keep the Paralympic Games fresh and a showcase of the Paralympic Movement’s diversity. My thanks go to the LA28 for proposing Para climbing. In doing so, they become the first organizing committee in history to propose an additional sport to the Paralympic Sport programme,” said IPC president Andrew Parsons in a statement.