Paris a huge success for IFSC apart from the Combined

IFSC has presented some impressive stats for the World Championships but they exaggerate the Combined stats. "More than 600 Athletes representing 53 countries registered to the three Sport Climbing disciplines (Bouldering, Lead and Speed) and nine Paraclimbing (Lead) categories over five consecutive days. 140 volunteers enabled 20,000 spectators to enjoy the event, and 146 accredited representatives of the media brought the action to thousands more fans. Online, 12 events were viewed 147,334 times during a marathon of LIVE streaming, and to date IFSC YouTube videos of Paris have gathered an impressive 594,623 total views. The historic event also reached over 130 countries via television broadcast, including in Japan on SkyA which ­- for the first time in IFSC history ­- televised LIVE action of an IFSC event outside the host nation. Only weeks after the inclusion of Sport Climbing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, twice as many Athletes participated in all three disciplines this year compared to 2014." What IFSC do not say is that the World Championships in 2014 took place at two different locations. Compared to the World Championships in Paris 2012, the number of competitors fell with from 31 to 28 but more seriously, less top climbers participated.