Climbing: how it is set up and scored.
Competition climbing is an individual sport on artificial walls across three disciplines. Boulder and lead run in rounds of qualification, semi-final and final, scored by tops and zones reached in boulder and by the highest hold in lead. Speed is raced in head-to-head heats on a standard 15 metre wall and recorded as a time. IFSC Competition Rules apply, administered in Britain by GB Climbing.
How climbing is set up.
- Match
- 3 rounds
- Squad
- 1 on the field per side, no rolling substitutes
- Scoring
- A score is a top; the result is in tops.
- Rules
- World Climbing (IFSC) Competition Rules v3, January 2026
How a result is recorded.
There is no lineup to pick in climbing. A coach records these for each athlete at every competition.
Scoring and results
- Top
- Zone
- Flash
- Competition Won
- Podium Finish
- Qualified for Next Round
- Personal Best
Playmaking and performance
- Attempt
Turnovers and non-finishes
- Fall
Discipline
- False Start
- Yellow Card
- Red Card
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