The Boulder WC and Olympic qualification start this weekend in Japan

There are 95 male and 76 female competitors registered to compete in the Hachioji Boulder World Cup this weekend. Japan has put 23 athletes forward and France as well as the USA, have 12 athletes competing. A new rule this year stipulates that each country can only have two athletes per gender, besides the countries that have earned extra spots based on the last year's WC results. The big names missing from the starting list are Adam Ondra, Alex Megos and Janja Garnbret, who broke her left toe in February.

The Boulder World Cup in Japan also marks the start of the Olympic qualification process. In 2023, 8 males and 8 females will get their Olympic tickets through the World (6) and the Continental Championships (10). The remaining 20 to 24 spots will be rewarded based on the Olympic qualification series in 2024, where 48 male and female athletes will compete in four Boulder & Lead events. With a max of four spots per nation in the series and the possibility that Japan, France and the USA will have already filled their Olympic quota, it could be that being in top-80 in the Combined World Cup ranking in 2023, is enough to make it to the 2024 Olympic qualification series.