~ JRD Tata Sports Complex in the Steel City gets India’s first bouldering wall of international standards ~
~ 92 young athletes from 11 countries to compete this year, including 31 from India ~
~ 1st edition of the championship held last December was also hosted by Jamshedpur ~
Jamshedpur: India’s Steel City, Jamshedpur, is all set to host the 2023 edition of the Asian Kids Sports Climbing Championship at the JRD Sports Complex from December 8 to 10, organised by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) in association with The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Asia and the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.
The highlight of this year’s championship is the addition of an all-new 36-meter (~120 feet) high bouldering wall built to exacting international standards and certified by IFSC, the international governing body for the sport of competition climbing.
The 2023 climbing championship for young athletes aged 10 to 13 from 11 Asian countries will see 92 participants including the largest contingent of 31 from India, underscoring the massive popularity of climbing as a flourishing sport among the country’s youth. The inclusion of the new international standard bouldering wall is expected to add an extra sense of festivity among athletes and spectators alike. This addition will also open doors for India to host other international climbing championships including those organised by IFSC.
Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: “Tata Steel Adventure Foundation is proud to host Asian Kids Sport Climbing Championship 2023. Remarkably this will be the second such tournament Jamshedpur is hosting in a span of one year. This is a testament to the fact that TSAF is aggressively promoting Sport Climbing not only in its own ecosystem, but for the entire country. The setting up of a new bouldering wall, which is of international standard and certified by the International Federation of Sport Climbing, adds to already existing quality infrastructure. Tata Steel will continue to ensure development of sports as a whole and organise such tournaments and championships in regular intervals.”
The first edition in 2022 witnessed the participation of 84 athletes from 10 countries. Indian team’s performance was terrific with 15 medals under their belt. Teams from countries like Korea, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong China, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines also performed well in various categories of competitions.
Jamshedpur, India’s Steel City, and the home of Tata Steel is also host to a unique sports infrastructure and ecosystem. The four centers of excellence — Tata Football Academy, Tata Archery Academy, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, and Naval Tata Hockey Academy are all outcomes of a long-held commitment of Tata Steel to provide the best-in-class sports infrastructure, established to fulfill the aspirations of the country’s youth.
Tata Steel’s association with sports in India goes back to its founding days. The legacy created by the Company’s founders has continued to flourish and grow over these many years. Tata Steel Adventure Foundation was born out of the same vision in 1984 and was led by Padma Bhushan awardee Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Mt Everest. In 2021, Tata Steel inaugurated India’s first residential sport climbing academy, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation Sport Climbing Academy.
