The 2018 UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) Ice Climbing World Cup debuted in Tumd Left Banner, Hohhot on Feb 2, with the city providing athletes with a purpose-built venue featuring stylish climbing in sub-zero temperatures.

It’s the second time that the ice climbing world cup has come to China, and Inner Mongolia autonomous region is hosting the A-level international winter sports event for the first time.

Following a highly successful event in Beijing last year, China is becoming an increasingly important presence on the World Tour stage. A new ice climbing structure has been built in Hohhot, promising exciting routes and a challenging speed wall. 

Over 80 international athletes participated in Hohhot, including 14 Chinese athletes. Livestreaming was available for the semi-finals and finals of the competition on the official UIAA Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels, as well as on the Olympic Channel. Furthermore, the state broadcaster CCTV provided live coverage in China.

On the first day of the event, 41 male and 29 female athletes participated in the lead qualifications, and 36 athletes entered the semi-finals of the men’s and women’s lead competitions. 

During the three-day event, athletes from across the world challenged men’s and women’s lead and speed competitions including qualification, semi-finals and finals.

The UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup, founded in 2006, is a world-class and high-level winter event. In 2016, 169 athletes from 22 countries participated in tournaments in three continents. The extreme sport has gained more and more attention as winter games have soared in popularity. 

Otgonkhuu Dorjsurenkhor (left) from Mongolia competes with Kirill Kolchegoshev from Russia during the men’s lead preliminaries at the 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup in Tumd Left Banner, Hohhot on Feb 3, 2018. Kirill entered the semi-finals with a time of 22.78 seconds. [Photo/Xinhua]