Climbing - a fundamental human movement

Having recently seen the Climb2020 documentary I was struck by a particular comment from Rob Aide (BMC Walls & Comps Officer) where he comments “climbing is the only fundamental human movement that isn’t represented in the Olympic games”. He goes on to explain that it’s one of the primary movements we learn as an infant and one we continue to develop throughout childhood. This really got me thinking and in conjunction with seeing the video here, prompted me to see if I can learn more about this little known Olympic factoid and indeed discovered it was also an observation by Yagihara Kunio, JMA (Japanese Mountaineering Association) President.

“Sport Climbing can be practiced anywhere. It’s a worldwide sport, enthusiasts are present in a huge number of countries. It’s a sport for the young, popular and also good for developing strength, flexibility and analytical skills. As a competitive sport, events can be held in spectacular venues for breathtaking shows, inciting intense emotions in the spectators. Last but not least, it represents the only basic human movement not yet included in the Olympic Games, says IFSC. Sport Climbing brings the missing vertical dimension to the world’s most prestigious sport event.”

With many physiologists siting the importance of climbing only second to balance in the list of the 22 fundamental movement skills for developing infants, maybe its time for the discipline to move out of the shadows and be recogonised for the part it plays in our development.