You don't change a winning team. This phrase sums up the decision of the members of the International Federation of Climbing (IFSC) to reappoint Marco Scolaris for a fifth term on Saturday in Larnaca, Cyprus. The Italian has led the IF since its creation in 2007, and the results speak for themselves: under his leadership, climbing has been included in the Olympic Games program and has managed to establish itself there permanently. A real feat. Unlike the previous election, in 2021, Scolaris had an opponent in the form of Belgian Tijl Smitz. However, the outsider was unable to dethrone the incumbent president, who received 57,8% of the vote.
Los Angeles 2028, the pinnacle that climbing dreamed of
The IFSC General Assembly has opted for continuity by renewing its confidence in Marco Scolaris, the first and only president in the organization's history. The 66-year-old leader has the advantage of boasting an excellent track record. Present for the first time in Tokyo, then confirmed in Paris, climbing will take a new step forward at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles by featuring six competitions. Men and women will all be able to aim for medals in speed, bouldering, and difficulty, whereas the program was previously limited to speed and combined. “Since the very beginning of our Olympic journey, our goal has always been to offer our athletes three medal opportunities. Each of our disciplines has its own strengths, and everyone will now be able to see them at LA28. I am happy to be at this point in our history.”, he declared a few days earlier.
To drive the point home, climbing has secured eight additional quotas and will therefore be able to send 76 athletes (38 men, 38 women) to Los Angeles, compared to 68 in Paris. It's hard to hope for more for such a young sport. Beyond the Olympic scene, Marco Scolaris can boast of having conquered new territories by bringing the Climbing World Cup to the South American continent for the first time, to Brazil, next month (May 16-18). This is a further step in the discipline's expansion. Recent weeks have also seen the IFSC conclude several partnerships: the federation has extended its European broadcast agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery for four additional years and signed with Euroholds to become the exclusive partner of the World Cup ranking. This gives the outgoing president even more credibility.
A team of refugees, eSports and the IPC in their sights
In his manifesto, Scolaris announced the colors of his new mandate: rebranding the IFSC with a new logo, creating a refugee athlete team in 2027, investing in research for the recycling of catches and volumes, reducing operational carbon emissions by 50% by 2028 instead of 2030, including climbing in the program of regional events such as the Mediterranean Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Islamic Solidarity Games, etc. One thing is certain: this mandate will be his last. In 2023, the General Assembly approved an exception to the term limit to allow him to run again in 2025.
« My goal is to ensure a smooth transition, to consolidate our achievements, to improve the areas in which we are not yet maximizing our potential, and to help new regions and countries around the world, hand in hand, to offer climbing to all. " he explained in his cover letter. The General Assembly has just ratified the integration of the Congolese and Iraqi federations, bringing to 101 the number of national federations members of the IFSC. The statutes of the body have also been modified on two aspects: para sport, to " facilitate obtaining IPC membership status ", and eSports, by formally recognizing " eClimbing and ePara Climbing as official IFSC disciplines ". Amendments approved unanimously, which " strengthen the IFSC's position, expand competition opportunities and align the organization with international sporting trends " Climbing has already climbed one Everest, and Marco Scolaris wants it to stay there.
