Euro Bouldering Champ 2017 just got new rules

Jorg Verhoeven explains on UKC the new rules for the European Bouldering Championship that takes place during the World Cup in Munich 18-19i/8. "A solution has been reached, but does it 'solve the problem', so to speak?" is the question UKC asks in the headline. The new interim rule tries solve the unfairness, especially for the males, where the Europeans might end up competing in a qualifying group with many Japanese. In one group the #4 ranked Europe might end up as #11, missing the semifinal, meanwhile in the other group possible the seven best Europeans qualify to the semi. Originally Verhoeven suggested to cancel the whole European Championship. The new rule is that the European Championship 2017 will be held during the semifinal of the World Cup. After the Top-20 World Cup semifinalists, also the remaining Top-10 Europeans from each qualification group will be allowed to compete. At the same time some unfairness has been solved, the new set up has also some disadvantages. In practice, the already long live-streamed semifinal (2.5 hours) could possibly take 50 min more if ten extra Europeans will be included in the semifinal. There is a risk for strange and confusing results. 1. The #1 European in the WC, possibly standing on the WC podium, might not stand on the ECH podium. 2. In theory, The European Champion might be #30 in the World Cup. 3. Possibly the Top-6 from the semifinal, or even the #1, will not be allowed to compete in the Munich final. I agree that the solution could solve a possibly unfair qualification round for the Europeans. However, most probably there will not be an unfair qualification and more or less equal male Europeans from each group will make it into the semi. If so, the new set up of rules will not have had any advantages but we could end up with a long and strange competition with confusing results. Time will tell if this new set of rules was good or bad. In the forum, Bojan Leskosek explains that the new rule just might have created a new unfairness as the ranking decides which group the Euopeans will belong to. As it stands, out of the Top-20 ranked, 12 will compete in group A and just 8 in group B, i.e. it will be easier to qualify from group B. Check Excel ranking