World Cup Climbing Coming to Hamilton June 1 & 2

HAMILTON, ON, May 29, 2013 /CNW/ - Its fans think it is the perfect sport - an optimum combination of strength and strategy. It's called bouldering - one style of rock climbing, without ropes.

And the top competitors in this demanding sport will be in Hamilton, June 1-2, 2013, for the Bouldering World Cup Canada, sanctioned by the International Federation of Sport Climbing.

This is only the second World Cup event ever held in Canada, and the first in the east - the previous event was in Canmore, Alberta.

Bouldering competitions are carried out on challenging vertical courses. This sport is undertaken at such a high level that the IFSC is currently working on a bid to have climbing included in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The Hamilton competition takes place at the World Cup Bouldering Hall. Top competition climbers from more than 20 countries are expected, including Killian Fischuber from Austria, Akiyo Noguchi from Japan and Canada's Sean McColl, a top ranked international competitor with multiple World Cup victories and multiple podium appearances.

McColl, from Vancouver, competed in 33 competitions in 2012 - some of them multiple categories at the same event - in venues ranging from the United States to France, from Austria to China, from Venezuela to Korea, from Sweden to, of course, Canada. He picked up nine first place medals in that year, alone, including being named 2012 IFSC World Champion. Sean won his first World Cup Bouldering gold medal on May 12 at Log Dragomer in Slovenia. He is the athlete representative on the Olympic bid committee.

Fans can cheer on the national hero in Hamilton; tickets are $60 for the two-day event. The first run of tickets sold out almost immediately; the organizers are planning to issue new blocks of tickets - visit www.boulderingcanada.com for more information about ticket availability.

The full roster of the Canadian National Bouldering Team, who will compete in Hamilton, was determined at the Canadian National Bouldering Championships, April 6-7, 2013.

Staging the Bouldering World Cup Canada is a labour of love - the entire organizing committee is made up volunteers. As well, this event would not be possible without the overwhelming support of the climbing community that helped the event get off the ground through an Indiegogo fundraising campaign/effort.

The volunteer organizers of the Hamilton event are a group of rock climbers from Joe Rockhead's Indoor Rock Climbing in Toronto. Head organizer is Luigi Montilla, who has successfully organized the Tour de Bloc - Canada's competitive climbing circuit - for a decade.

Joe Rockhead's is the official training facility for all athletes competing at the World Cup event; Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has signed on as Official Event Sponsor of the 2013 IFSC Bouldering World Cup Canada.

For further information about this unprecedented climbing event, visit www.boulderingcanada.com.

SOURCE: Bouldering Canada

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