A speed climbing demonstration and participation event brought the curtain down on Bahrain’s three-month-long Season of Sport. British Junior Speed Climbing Champion, Orrin Coley reports.

When you think about speed climbing a few prominent countries come to mind such as Russia and Poland - indeed many eastern European nations.  So it came as a bit of a surprise when I received an invitation to an event in Bahrain!

Here in the UK, the average person might only know of sporadic news articles about violent protests, yet Bahrain was bestowed the titles “Capital of Arab Culture 2012” followed by “Capital of Arab Tourism 2013”, and this year the Ministry of Culture and event organiser Sportique88 staged a Season of Sport, designed to showcase the Kingdom’s sporting pedigree and provide Bahrainis with an opportunity to try out new sports and discover their hidden talents.

One of the sports chosen for this promotion was speed climbing. The thrill and exhilaration of a race and watching in awe at the ability of participants who can ascend a wall in seconds is not lost on most observers.  Indeed when it comes to athletics all eyes are on the sprint so why not climbing too?

In late June, a purpose-built 15-metre wall appeared almost overnight, and a great mix of men and women, old and young rolled up during the three days of Climb Fever to try their hand on the country’s first speed climbing wall. They were encouraged by enthusiastic spectators and given tips by Polish multiple World Cup winner Edyta Ropek, her coach Arkadiusz Kaminski and myself. The atmosphere was further boosted by the sound of Latin beats, DJs and rappers coming from the adjoining stage.

The result of this event is that a seed has been sown.  Many people came together and had a go.  In fact there were some really good performances, some so fast that speed belaying techniques were required.  If this is how they can perform on a first attempt who knows what they will achieve with training and commitment.  Everyone who tried their hand at the sport wanted to know when they can do it again and expressed a desire for an indoor wall to become a permanent fixture.

There is now a real buzz about the sport here and having had their first experience of organising such an event much has been learned.  The hope is for something bigger and better for the future – perhaps an annual event with both a certified wall and novice routes, but they do not aspire to just that, they are even interested in hosting future World Cup events.
 

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