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Sport in Bahrain will be scaling new heights this weekend when the first-ever demonstration of Speed Rock Climbing takes place at the Al A’ali Shopping Complex on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening.
The Ministry of Culture’s 2013 Season of Sport moves into its final phase with one of the most dramatic exhibitions of sporting skills and one of the most visually dramatic pieces of sports equipment that have ever been seen in the kingdom.
The Speed Climbing wall is a vertical structure rising 15 metres into the sky and dwarfing the Aali restaurant complex in Seef.
Starting at 6pm on each of the three evenings leading exponents of the art, including three times world champion Edyta Ropek, from Poland, and British Junior Speed Climbing champion Orrin Coley, will be challenging gravity with an exhibition of speed climbing.
And Ropek, a leading international instructor, will allow visitors to chance their head for heights on the wonder wall for free. Safety equipment, including ropes and helmets will be available.
Speed Climbing is done on rocks, walls and poles. In pure speed climbing, time is everything but it is also common to record speed ascents while observing a particular climbing style or ethic.
There is also competitive speed climbing on artificial walls which is one of the disciplines governed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing.
This weekend’s event in Bahrain has been organised as part of the 2013 Manama Capital of Arab Tourism Season of Sport. The Speed Climbing exhibition is designed to complement all the other sporting activities that have taken place during the three-month-long season.
Some of the more obvious sports that have taken place during the season include Endurance Horse Racing and, of course, the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix but the season has also been designed to draw attention to lesser known sports that it is believed have a bright future in Bahrain, such as kite-surfing and beach soccer highlighted by a successful Beach Fever event at Amwaj Islands in May.
Speed Climbing is one of a new breed of sports that event organiser Sportique88’s MD Martin Whitaker believes have a place in the future of Bahrain’s sporting landscape.
“Throughout the Season of Sport we have aimed to bring new recognition and awareness to sports that do not necessarily receive the high-profile of others but, nevertheless, play an important role in the rich tapestry of competitive sport in this country,” Whitaker said.
“In recent months Kite Boarding, Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, Wake Boarding, Beach Soccer, Triathlon and now Speed Climbing are all getting new levels of exposure.
“The objective is to ensure that these sports now gain a place on the annual sporting calendar and achieve the recognition they richly deserve both in the community and internationally.”
The aim is for young Bahrainis and expat residents to cultivate an interest in a new variety of sports that create new levels of enthusiasm and participation.
“How good would it be to see a young Bahraini competing for medal honours at international competitions in years to come?” asked Whitaker.
Climbing sensation Coley’s meteoric rise to the top of his sport took him exactly 12.19 seconds when he stormed his way last year to the British Junior Speed Climbing Championship title at the age of 17.
“It’s pretty amazing really,” Coley told his local newspaper The Leicester Mercury. “I wasn’t thinking about much else but getting to the top as quickly as I could.
“To win the title is fantastic but to do that climb in a time faster than any of the adults felt incredible. It’s climbing more than a metre a second, which isn’t too bad.”
Now a British international, his current personal best time is 9.98 seconds. He said he hopes to inspire other young adventurers during his trip to Bahrain. “It’s become my life,” he said. “My big ambition is to become a great outdoors climber when you go out into the mountains for months at a time.”
Throughout this weekend’s event a photo exhibition will be staged in and around the mall’s restaurant complex showcasing all the sports featured in the Season of Sport.
On Thursday and Friday nights the mall will also reverberate to the live Latino tones of popular band Havaneros and on Saturday night DJ Outlaw will perform in what is expected to be an eclectic mix of sport and music.
As part of the 2013 Manama Capital of Arab Tourism the Speed Climbing event is designed to showcase the importance of sport within the community. Bahrain already hosts many local, regional and international sports and Manama’s tenure as the 2013 Capital of Arab Tourism is being used to underline the importance and power that sport has on the community.
“The Season of Sport has been a huge success and a valuable addition to the activities that we run at the Ministry of Culture,” said director of tourism Hesham Alsaken. “The 2013 Manama Capital of Arab Tourism is designed to showcase what Bahrain has to offer across a broad range of cultural, sporting and tourism sectors and the introduction of new sport such as Speed Climbing underlines the importance of events of this nature and the role they play in the community outreach programme that we are promoting.”
