Jamshedpur: Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) is conducting the National qualifying trials of sports climbing athletes from 26 to 28 July. This trial is being conducted for the first time in Jamshedpur in collaboration with Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) East Zone. The selected athletes will represent the Indian team at the World Youth Championships to be held in Voronezh, Russia from 21 to 31 August 2021. 24 athletes from across the country are participating in the trials
The National Trials are being conducted at TSAF’s Sports Climbing Training Center for all three categories, women’s, men’s and mixed category. The age-wise categories include Junior, Youth A and Youth B – Girls and Boys. The initial selection was done on the basis of past performance, national rank and video trial. A total of 24 athletes from across the country are participating in the trials. All of them will compete to represent Team India. To ensure the safety of all, these trials are being conducted without spectators and with all safety norms including COVID protocol.
After selection, training will be done in TSAF only, from here Russia will leave
The selected athletes will continue their training at the TSAF Training Centre and will depart from Jamshedpur for the competition. TSAF has taken this initiative to promote sports climbing in India, provide experience to Indian athletes and help them prepare for Olympics 2024. Chanakya Choudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel extended his best wishes to all the participating athletes and supported TSAF’s initiative to provide exposure and opportunities to promising athletes. Debraj Dutta, Chairman, IMF East Zone, Hemant Gupta, Head, TSAF and Co-Chairman, IMF East Zone and Bibhas Roy, IMF and TSAF officers and volunteers along with coaches are managing the trial.
In 2015 TSAF began to develop sports climbing.
Significantly, TSAF has invested crores of rupees to develop sports climbing infrastructure and training center in Jamshedpur. TSAF has installed five modular climbing walls in rural schools around Jamshedpur to increase access and awareness of the sport. TSAF started developing sports climbing in 2015. TSAF helped Eastern Zone win the National Trophy in 2019 and for the first time in its 25-year history, TSAF cadets scored 91 percent of the winning points. Cadet Anisha Verma of TSAF is the current national record holder in speed climbing in women’s category. Aman Verma is the first mountaineer from India to reach the semi-final stage of the World Youth Championship a few years back. The cadets of TSAF have won 20 medals at the national level, while more than 50 medals have been won at the regional and state level.
