The first para-climbing World Cup kicks off next week - here's how to watch it and everything else you need to know
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Former world champion Matthew Phillips takes to the wall. | Credit: Getty Images
Competitive paraclimbing is finally back.
After a lengthy seven-month absence, the first paraclimbing World Cup of the year gets underway next week in Salt Lake City, USA. With months of training behind them, the world's best paraclimbers will battle it out to claim gold in the first of three paraclimbing World Cup events held throughout the year.
Advertisement
But what exactly is this paraclimbing, and how does it work? Read on for everything you need to know about this thrilling sport and its upcoming World Cup competition.
What is paraclimbing
The term paraclimbing describes any form of indoor or outdoor climbing performed by someone living with a disability. It can be amateur or professional, and can manifest in multiple climbing disciplines, like lead climbing, bouldering, or any other style.
People living with disabilities have been climbing for all of human history, but the sport only became official in 2003, at the first international paraclimbing competition.
Advertisement
Eight years later, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) organized the first paraclimbing World Championships, and the sport has become increasingly professionalized ever since.
How does the paraclimbing World Cup work?
The IFSC World Cup is the world's premier paraclimbing competition, pitting the best of the best against each other in three intense competitions over the year.
The first takes place from May 20 to 21 in Salt Lake City, USA. The second will be in Innsbruck, Austria, from June 23 to 24. And the final round is in Laval, France, from 24 to 26 October.
The IFSC World Cup incorporates a wide variety of climbers living with all sorts of disabilities. Competitors are divided into three broad classes: 'blind sport class', 'amputees', and 'limited reach, power, and stability'. They're then further categorized depending on the nature of their disability.
Visually-impaired paraclimber Linn Poston hits the wall | Credit: Getty Images
In total, climbers from ten different men's and women's sub-classes compete in lead climbing competitions, where they race to the top of a wall and clip their rope to different checkpoints.
Advertisement
Athletes in the limited reach, power, and stability class use static movements to power themselves up the wall, while those in the amputees class have to make do without limbs that would otherwise be vital to non-disabled climbers.
Visually impaired climbers in the blind sport class are assisted by guides on the ground, who describe the route as they feel their way up.
How to watch the paraclimbing World Cup
There are a few different ways to watch the paraclimbing World Cup depending on your location and budget.
Lucky viewers in the US and Canada can catch all three World Cup competitions for free on the IFSC YouTube channel. You can also watch live coverage and reaction on the Olympics channel via Olympics.com.
Advertisement
Viewers in the United Kingdom and Europe can stream the competition exclusively on Warner Bros Discovery's streaming services.
For UK and Irish viewers, that's TNT Sports, which you can access via a subscription to Discovery+ Premium. If you're in Europe, you can stream the World Cup on Eurosport or via the Discovery+ platform.
Savannah Shanton competes in the 2018 IFSC World Championships | Credit: Getty Images
If you're travelling overseas during the World Cup, you can catch all the action using a VPN. These handy private networks create a private connection between your device and the internet, meaning the service can't work out where you are.
The experts at our sister site TechRadar recommend NordVPN.
NordVPN, featuring a 30-day, money-back guarantee
Advertisement
Our sister site TechRadar recommends NordVPN for its speedy connections, trustworthy security and the fact it works with Android, Apple, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, PS4 and loads more. You also get a money-back guarantee and 24/7 support.View Deal
For more on paraclimbing, check out our interview with three-time world champion and former Team GB athlete Matthew Phillips.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lani Pallister rocks world titles in Titmus' absence as Kaylee McKeown overtakes icon
Lani Pallister has produced one of her greatest ever swims having upset Summer McIntosh to finish second in the 800m freestyle, while Kaylee McKeown has cemented herself as the greatest women's backstroker of all time. On a night where Cam McEvoy and McKeown won gold at the Swimming World Championships in stunning fashion, it was Pallister's silver medal that had the world talking. In a race that was billed as a battle between swimming great Ledecky and young superstar McIntosh, it was Pallister who surprised fans. With just 100m left in the race, McIntosh had a narrow lead over Ledecky. The American star started to pull away from McIntosh, but to the surprise of viewers it was Pallister that went stroke for stroke with Ledecky. And Ledecky finished with a time of 8:05.62, but only edging out Pallister who touched the wall in 8:05.98. Pallister stunned the world having finished in front of McIntosh, by more than a second, who finished with a bronze in 8:07.29. Ledecky admitted she was stunned three swimmers went under 8:10 in a race that is being named as the greatest ever. "They pushed me all the way," Ledecky said of her rivals. "That's pretty incredible, three of us going under 8:10. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs, because I've gotten a bit better at kicking. Just running home at the end. It's the fastest I've ever been at a world championships." The Aussie broke her own national record and improved it by some margin. Pallister swam 8:10.84 back at the national trials in June. She shaved nearly five seconds off her best this time round. She now has two bronze, one silver and a gold at this year's titles. And fans were stunned at Pallister's race having cemented herself as a potential future champion at the 800m freestyle event. Watching Lani Pallister in the Womans 800 Free last night in the 2025 World Aquatic Championships in Singapore only narrowly get beaten by Katy Ledeckie shows Lani is the future. What an outstanding race by all the Girls. — Chris McKay (@ChrisMcKayReal) August 2, 2025 That was one of the greatest distance races in history. @katieledecky wins the 800 free world title for the seventh time in 8:05.62 ahead of Australian Lani Pallister (8:05.98) & Summer McIntosh (8:07.29). #AQUASingapore2025 #AQUASingapore25 — Liz Byrnes (@LizByrnes14) August 2, 2025 all the conversation about the 800m free being 'mcintosh vs ledecky' and then lani pallister gets silver i love australian swimming so so much — sarah (@sleeplesshockey) August 2, 2025 This is a true "race of the century". Credit to all three swimmers. Katie Ledecky - 8:05.62 Lani Pallister - 8:05.98Summer McIntosh - 8:07.29 #AQUASingapore25 — Paul Griffin (@PGriffinFC) August 2, 2025 Lani Pallister overtakes Ariarne Titmus in absence Pallister's time now has her well in front of Aussie and rival Ariarne Titmus. The Aussie is taking time away from the pool after the Paris Games, but in her absence she has watched her records tumble. Titmus saw Pallister break her 800m national record at the national trials. And Pallister improved this time considerably overnight in Singapore. And McIntosh broke the 400m world record in the Canadian trials having also won the same event at the world titles. Titmus is set to return after the championships with one eye on the Olympics, but she now has two new rivals in Pallister and McIntosh. Kaylee McKeown overtakes Ian Thorpe record And on a brilliant night for Aussie swimming, McKeown became arguably the greatest women's backstroker of all time having won the 200m event. McKeown touched in at 2:03.33 to record a championship record and beat rival Regan Smith. "I wasn't feeling too great heading in, a bit of illness and stuff going around, dealing with a bit of a shoulder (injury)," McKeown said. "I dug really deep." McKeown has now won the double gold, 100m and 200m backstroke, in Fukuoka 2023, Paris 2024 and now Singapore 2025. With her 200m record she equalled Thorpe's total of six at the world championships. She also overtook Thorpe as the Aussie swimmer with the most combined individual gold medals at the world titles and Olympics with 10. Kaylee McKeown just won her 10th LCM backstroke title. That's the most of any swimmer in is the backstroke GOAT. — Slaylee Goatkeown (@SwimFanAus) August 2, 2025
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Wins Her Second U.S. Title At 400 Meters
Two years ago, an injury prevented Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from chasing after a world title at 400 meters. This time around, that won't be a problem. On Saturday at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, the 25-year-old U.S. star indicated she's all-in for the 400 meters at the World Championships in Tokyo after securing her second national title since 2023 with a dominating performance over the distance in 48.90 seconds. More importantly, she's healthy. And she's ready. 'This event has taught me patience,' she told a group of assembled reporters in Eugene. 'I think I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned a lot about the 400. But ultimately, it's every day stepping on the track being the best I can be and figuring out a race that's very foreign to me and taking on new challenges.' It wasn't the American record she may have been aiming for, but the effort did mark the third time McLaughlin-Levrone dipped under the 49-second barrier over her career. It also signaled her first race under 49 seconds in 2025. 'Everyone talks about the American record, of course,' McLaughlin-Levrone said of the U.S.'s all-time 400-meter mark. 'That's going to come when it's supposed to come.' What's Next For Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone McLaughlin-Levrone confirmed that she won't pursue a wildcard bid in the 400-meter hurdles in Tokyo, where she's the world record-holder and two-time defending Olympic champion. That will have to wait for another year. On Saturday, Isabella Whittaker was the second U.S. qualifier in 49.59 seconds, while Aaliyah Butler, an athlete at the University of Georgia, was third in 49.91 seconds. Butler was second in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2024 and is the reigning NCAA champion. On the outside looking in was Alexis Holmes, an Olympic qualifier last year who was fifth in 50.33. Another omission from the U.S. team was Britton Wilson, a 2023 world qualifier who fell to sixth in 50.88. McLaughlin-Levrone said her season-long pursuit in the 400 meters began in the lead-up to the Prefontaine Classic, where she went on to win the event in 49.43 seconds. 'We had an idea that we wanted to focus on the 4,' she said. 'This was a challenge. It was not as comfortable for us, but I want to challenge myself. I felt like this was the year I wanted to step out of the box and really push myself in a different way.' Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Is Inching Closer To An All-Time Record Her performance in the U.S. final inched her closer to Sanya Richards-Ross' American record of 48.70. It was her fifth race at the distance in 2025 outright – matching her output from 2023. The last time McLaughlin-Levrone pursued the American record, she won her first 400-meter title in 48.74 seconds at the U.S. Outdoor Championships. A knee injury later kept her out of the World Championships in Budapest. A year later, less than three weeks out from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, she ran 48.75 seconds. On Saturday, while she never broke form, she lacked a finishing kick over the final 50 meters. And yet, with added preparation and focus for the World Championships, which are set for September 13-21 in Tokyo, McLaughlin-Levrone may have enough time to meet those demands. She's a three-time world champion who has been a part of two gold-medal winning 4x400 relays in 2019 and 2022. She will likely contribute to the U.S.'s efforts in the relay in Tokyo. However, any possible rematch with the Netherland's Femke Bol, who currently leads the world in the 400-meter hurdles and was third in the event at the Paris Olympic, will have to wait. 'For this year, the 400, possibly the relays,' McLaughlin-Levrone said of her remaining goals this season. 'Just pushing myself in this. Each year is a new year. We'll see what we can bring.'
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Lionel Messi exits Inter Miami match with apparent hamstring injury
Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi exited Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Necaxa on Saturday night after suffering an apparent hamstring injury in the opening minutes. Messi was running toward the penalty area between two defenders when he appeared to get tripped in the eighth minute. He fell to the ground and slammed his fist in frustration before walking toward midfield as play continued. He then sat on the pitch near Inter Miami's bench as trainers came and worked on his right upper thigh area for a couple of minutes. He was subbed out in the 11th for Federico Redondo and immediately walked to the locker room. Miami went up 1-0 a couple minutes later on a goal by Telasco Segovia, which was assisted by Rodrigo De Paul. Messi has dealt with numerous hamstring injuries throughout his career and has missed time over the past couple of seasons dealing with various leg injuries — the most recent issue was with his left adductor, which sidelined him for a pair of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers earlier this year. It would seem likely that Messi will be further examined in the coming days, though it's not yet known if or when he will undergo an MRI, which is typical for soft-tissue injuries. Miami can only advance in the Leagues Cup — a tournament the Herons won in 2023 shortly after Messi's arrival — if it scores enough goals to improve its current standing among other MLS clubs. Only the top four clubs in MLS and the top four in Liga MX will reach the knockouts. Despite winning its opener 2-1 over Atlas on Wednesday behind Messi's two assists, Miami is ninth in the tournament's MLS standings because of goal differential. ___ AP soccer: recommended Item 1 of 1
