The International Federation of Sport Climbing has agreed six official partnerships ahead of a 2016 season in which it will discover whether it will be part of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The IFSC has renewed its associations with long-term partners Entre-Prises, which will continue to serve as the body’s official climbing wall supplier, and Kailas, which will remain an IFSC main partner in the apparel, ropes and safety gear category.
The IFSC has agreed further deals with DJI, EpicTV, Tenaya and Luxov. Flying drone company DJI has been named a main partner and the official camera drone partner of the IFSC, while EpicTV has signed on as the body’s official media partner. Tenaya will become an official partner in the climbing shoes category, and Luxov has been assigned the role of the IFSC’s official holds partner.
“It confirms that our sport is growing fast and gets the support of companies in and out the climbing community,” Anne Fuynel, marketing and communications director of the IFSC, said. “Our sport attracts the young generation, the sport presentation has been improved in order to attract a broader audience and deliver an exciting experience. All these innovative partners will support us in our quest to reach a new step.”
The announcement of the partnerships comes as the IFSC continues its push to see sport climbing added to the Olympic programme by Tokyo 2020. The organising committee for the 2020 Games last September proposed sport climbing, baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding and surfing as additional sports for the showpiece event.
Should sport climbing be chosen, the bouldering, lead and speed combined disciplines of the sport would be introduced at Tokyo 2020. The final decision on the Tokyo 2020 programme will be made by the International Olympic Committee at the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro in August.