The 2025 IFSC Climbing and Paraclimbing World Championships concluded on Sunday in Seoul, marking the first time that South Korea hosted the sport’s top global event under the umbrella of the International Federation of Sport Climbing -IFSC-. Staged at the KSPO Dome, the competition brought together the world’s best athletes for eight days, underlining the growing international reach of the discipline.

Although South Korea had previously hosted World Cup events, this was the first occasion the country staged the World Championships. The victory of Dohyun Lee in the men’s Lead final, the first-ever world title for a Korean climber, gave the competition special significance and reinforced the nation’s role on the international stage.

Record participation at the Paraclimbing World Championships

The Paraclimbing Championships ran in parallel and reached historic levels of participation, with 206 athletes competing across 19 categories, making it the largest edition in history. Hosting both events under one roof highlighted the IFSC’s commitment to inclusion and to giving adaptive climbing visibility within the global sports landscape.

The United States delegation stood out with 12 medals in Paraclimbing, presenting a squad of 50 athletes, 18 of whom reached the finals. These numbers illustrate both the competitive depth and the international growth of a championship that continues to attract more nations and specialists every edition.

A global showcase for Seoul and South Korea

The KSPO Dome, with a capacity of more than 15,000 spectators, became the centerpiece of the event and a global showcase for Seoul. More than 60 nations were represented, enhancing the city’s tourism impact and sporting visibility on the international map. Although no official figures on economic return have yet been released, organizers designated official hotels located between 5 and 10 kilometers from the venue to host delegations and visitors in strategic areas of the Korean capital.

The staging of this World Championships aligns with South Korea’s broader strategy of consolidating its status as a host of major international events, a consistent feature of its sports and cultural projection policies.

Technical innovations to enhance the experience

The event benefited from extensive coverage on both digital platforms and television, significantly expanding the sport’s reach. Live broadcasts on YouTube alone gathered tens of thousands of views, with the women’s Boulder final surpassing 79,000 views and the men’s Boulder final reaching around 46,000 views.

In Europe, broadcasting rights were shared between Eurosport and Discovery+, while in South Korea the public broadcaster KBS covered the main rounds. In several international territories, the Olympic Channel also aired the competition, strengthening the sport’s Olympic profile.

Additionally, the introduction of innovative broadcast features such as 360º cameras and real-time graphics enriched the viewing experience and reinforced the Olympic projection of a sport that will return to the program at Los Angeles 2028.