About Sport Climbing

One of the five disciplines that will debut in the Olympic program starting in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan is sport climbing, and one of Mexico's best climbers, Mauricio Huerta, spoke with La Afición to explain what it is all about.

Types of Climbing

This sport has different modalities, but basically consists of reaching the top of a wall - synthetic or natural - through anchors and previously planned routes. One branch of this activity is bouldering, which is practiced on prefabricated walls, with a maximum height of five meters.

Climbing in Mexico

Huerta commented that in Mexico City there are about 10 gyms and many natural areas throughout the country, emphasizing that some of the best climbing areas in the world are located in the northern part of Mexico. The necessary equipment to practice this sport includes magnesium powder, harness, rope, safety tapes, and special shoes, called climbing shoes. The equipment costs approximately between 10,000 and 15,000 pesos.

Mauricio Huerta

Huerta is 28 years old and started climbing at the age of 11. He began competing at the age of 13, became national champion, and has represented Mexico in international tournaments. Currently, he trains two groups of children: one group of 20 beginners and another group of five high-performance climbers who aspire to participate in the Olympics.

Growth of Climbing

He mentions that the climbing community used to be very small and the areas for this activity were less developed, but he considers that the sport has grown a lot in the 17 years of his career. "There are more and more competitions and climbers, more motivated children, especially because of the Olympics," he said.

Roberta Portales

One of Huerta's students is Roberta Portales, who is 12 years old and has been climbing since she was four years old, when her mother, who was also a climber, took her to a gym to get started in the sport. She trains every day to improve her skills and her goal is to represent Mexico in Tokyo.

Safety of Climbing

Despite being considered an action sport, Huerta assures that climbing is a safe activity and participants do not face any risk when practicing it. "If you do it consciously and know how to use the equipment, it is not dangerous, especially in competitions where there are very large pads and the equipment is highly standardized," he explained.

Healthy Lifestyle

He added that most people do climbing as a recreational activity, but those who have a higher competitive level maintain a healthy diet because "to be a climber you have to be lightweight." Some go to the gym and do a lot of cardio, but most do it as a recreational activity," he concluded.

Olympic Climbing

The sport climbing modalities that will be held in the upcoming Olympic Games are speed climbing, lead climbing, and bouldering. There will be 20 athletes competing in the women's category and 20 in the men's category, and the winners will be determined based on their results in the three events.