This week, IFSC did send out personal invitations to 20 male and female for the Toulouse Olympic qualification event. A couple of days later they sent out information in regards last-minute selection rule changes, meaning that some who received the invitations have understood that they are not welcome any longer. In the original selection rule, there was a max country quota of two athletes but this rule has now been deleted. In practice, this means that Japan can send five males and climbers like Jernej Kruder and Alexey Rubtsov, etc seem to be out. Also some female who got an invitation assume they are out. It should be mentioned that both Kruder and Rubtsov did choose to not participate in the last event in Japan as they already had secured their Toulouse spot based on the original rule. If Rubtsov, who was #18 the week before in Xiamen, would have been possibly #32 in Inzai, he would have secured a spot also with the new selection rules.

Japan got a double victory in the China Combined Open with Keita Dohi and Miho Nonaka. In the end, they were both rather superior with a calculated sum of 6 respective 18 points. Runner-ups were Nikolai Iarilovets, see below story) and Futaba Ito. Interesting is that several athletes had to be separated with time in Lead and that half of the female topped all three problems at the same time as the Speed specialist did not even get a zone. Rishat Khaibullin, #3 in the Combined WCH, was just #7. He lost the quarter final in Speed against Keita Dohi with just 0.03 seconds. Later he climbed half a second faster setting the best Speed time in the final with 5.96. Complete results

The Toulouse Olympic qualifying event takes place in a month for the Top-20 in the overall ranking excluding the ones already have qualified to Tokyo and a max 2 country quota. This is also the first time the Olympic format is tried out on an international arena for most of the participants. Interesting is that time will decide ties in the onsight qualification and that there is only one route. As we have seen the route setters having problems separating the climbers this year it will be more important to climb fast. This means also that there will be an advantage starting last as you can hear and partly measure by the time consumed that somebody topped. In practice, if I have understood the rules correctly, the highest-ranked in the Combined ranking will start last, i.e. Adam Ondra.

Fanatic Climbing reports that Cedric Lachat has done the 27th ascent of La Rambla 9a+ in Siurana. The 35-year-old, who previously has done four 9a+', was one of the best Lead competition climbers during 00'-is when he also got a silver in a Boulder WC. (c) l’Algérien "I tried a long time ago, it was an old nemesis. The first it was after I did “La reina mora” (2015). Then I tried 2 years ago but the conditions were hot. Last year I invested some time on it, during 2 months and 5 there and go from Grenoble…and I finished with a pulley damaged. I did only 10 tries and I was falling 8 times at the crux at the end, at this deadpoint move to the two-finger pocket left hand. This year I tried Andrada’s beta at the crux, instead of holding the vertical crimp right hand to the two-finger pocket with the left hand undercling, I hold this one going to a gaston-sloper right hand and then to the two-finger pocket left hand. It’s harder physically but it’s less random."

In 2017, Romain Desgranges (37) won overall in Lead and last year he got the bronze. This year he has competed for the first time in Bouldering and Speed in order to try to qualify to Tokyo. The consequence of this is that he has totally lost his shape in Lead being in average #25 which was also his result in the World Championship. In the Combined ranking he ended #56 out of 71.

1. Japan 1 695 2. Slovenia 988 3. Korea 758 4. USA 612 5. Austria 525 6. Czech Republic 484 7. France 440 8. Italy 434 Team Japan's superior win in the Lead World Cup is just a continuation of their progress the last years. They have been the best nation in Boulder for many years and that they now are on top also in Lead, some would consider frightening. The epicentrum for competition climbing has since IFSC started with World Cups been southern Europe. Now with Korea also coming strong including also the best result for China, the centrum has moved to Asia. It should be mentioned that both Austria and France have not sent full teams to all events as their best athletes had already qualified for either directly to Tokyo or to Toulouse. On the other hand, many of the best from Japan have also missed some events but their substitutes have been equally strong it seems. The result from the Lead WC in 2019 suggest that if all team could send as many as they want, Japan just might have gotten almost half of the semifinalists.

Zach Galla, the US Combined Champion who did most of the WC's until Hachioji where he was #31 in Bouldering, has done two 8B+'; Echale in Clear Creek Canyon and Mirror Reality in RMNP. "Sick one! Fell on the jump almost every try for the first two days. Hooked it up minutes before the snow melted all over the crux holds today!" Michael Rosato

Seb Bouin reports on Insta that he has done Jorge Diaz-Rullo's Patanics in Rodellar suggesting a down grade to 9a+. "For me it feels closer to 9a/+. Yet the route is 100% my style, that's why my opinion is to propose a downgrade to a 9a+." (c) Julia Cassou Ten days ago he also did the FA of Detectives giving it 9a. ”The King Line of Rodellar in this Grade. Bolted by Chris Sharma and Dani Andrada. Seb's trip to Rodellar started with a broken car. Then the rain come and later he had to go to emergency to remove a metal piece from a quick draw from his eye. "Nothing will perturb a climbing trip !" The French is #2 in the ranking game after Jorge.

Climb Kalymnos presents Heroes, which is a new sector with 25 routes which mainly have been developed by Aris T. (c) Kieran J Duncan "The crag consists of three small caves connected to each other with vertical walls. There is a big variety of climbing styles, from very steep cave climbing on big holds or some tufas to grey walls, off-vertical pocketed walls, short and steep athletic routes, and so on."

"1.2Selection Criteria The Athlete Quota within each gender will be filled from: 1)the highest ranked Athletes from the IFSC Combined World Cup Ranking as at 01 November 2019; and/or 2)where following (1) the Athlete Quota remains incomplete, the highest ranked Athletes from the 2019 World Championship Combined Ranking,in each case a)excluding any Athletes who have a confirmed Quota Place for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following the 2019 Combined World Championship; and b)subject toa National Quota of two (2) Athletes." A. Should Japan be allowed to send anyone to Toulouse? B. Should countries with one already qualified to Tokyo be allowed to send one, two or everyone within the Top-20 criteria? In other sports with Olympic qualifying events, the countries are allowed to send everyone who qualified, not just a max quota.