Rokt preparing future Olympic stars for Tokyo 2020

The International Olympic has added sport climbing along with four other sports to the Olympic games which will add 470 athletes to the Olympic Village and 18 new events in four years’ time,.

Euan Noble, commercial director of Rokt Climbing Centre, said the sport being included in the Olympics is a massive boost for them and the sport globally.

“It’s like seeing Wiggins and Froome winning Le Tour or the Olympics – the legacy and interest factor just goes through the roof. This step has the potential to do that for climbing.

“If you want to see something incredible, watch speed climbing – it will be like watching the X Men arrive at the Olympics.

“Seeing someone climb up a sheer wall in less than 10 seconds is fantastic and as a result of this, we are now looking at installing a speed climbing wall at ROKT in the near future.

“Without doubt, we believe we could have climbers from ROKT representing Team GB in the Olympics.

“We have over 200 kids a week through our clubs and cherry pick the best who go through to our academy.

“We’ve currently got Luke Murphy, who’s in Team GB, and before that Nathan Phillips, so I think our team approach will help potentially see more people from Yorkshire in the Olympics.

“Reports suggest there are about five million people a year doing some kind of indoor climbing and it’s definitely seen a growth.

“ROKT is continually adding more space, more climbing, more bouldering. It transcends all other sports – it has excitement, fear factor and it’s not gender or age dominated.”

Whether any of the existing sports in this month’s Olympics will be dropped to accommodate the new arrivals is still to be decided, with a final decision expected in mid-2017.

Luke Murphy, ROKT ambassador and Team GB bouldering international, said: “Climbing becoming an Olympic sport is very exciting and would mean a huge step forward in the sport as a whole.

“Currently, climbing is the only fundamental human movement that isn’t an Olympic sport, therefore it would be highly fitting within the games. I think it’s about time it made it in.”

For more information visit www.rokt.co.uk/