Hundreds of young climbers from every Australian state and New Zealand have descended on Ballina for a national championship that organisers say could pave the way for even bigger international events in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

The Youth National Climbing Championships at Climbing Jungle in West Ballina have transformed the indoor facility into a high-performance sporting arena, with organisers estimating up to 2000 people, including competitors, parents, coaches, volunteers and spectators, will pass through the venue over the four-day event.

Sport Climbing Australia CEO Bec Hamilton said the event was already delivering a major economic boost for Ballina.

“We think there’s about 450 people at this moment in time,” she said.

“I think over the course of the weekend, probably about 2000 people with volunteers, spectators and everything else.

“We estimate, and we’re doing a full economic impact study at the moment, that it’s probably closely, if not over, a million dollars.”

The championships feature some of Australia’s best young climbers competing in Olympic-style disciplines including lead climbing and bouldering.

Hamilton said the rapid growth of climbing since its Olympic debut in Tokyo had fuelled a surge in participation.

Bec Hamilton: “We have to have facilities that meet certain standards.”

“Our memberships are up 22 per cent year on year, so it’s really growing since the injection into the Olympics in Tokyo,” she said.

She said some of the future stars of the Brisbane Olympics were likely already competing in Ballina this weekend.

“I guarantee you, the kids who will be in our 2032 Brisbane Olympics are out there right now,” Hamilton said.

Ballina’s Olympic opportunity

Hamilton said Ballina had the potential to become a significant training base for elite climbing teams ahead of the Brisbane Games, but warned upgrades to local facilities would be essential.

She said international federations would soon be looking for regional centres where overseas teams could base themselves for weeks before Olympic competition.

“A world championships we think is about $27 million,” she said.

“This venue wouldn’t be used for something like that, but it could be a place that, say, Germany come and base themselves here for six weeks.”

However, Hamilton said parts of the facility were currently unable to be fully utilised due to unresolved issues involving Ballina Shire Council approvals and incomplete infrastructure.

“It’s going to be very hard to come back here again with this facility in the current state that it’s in,” Hamilton said.

“Not having the mezzanine area fixed, not having adequate toilets — it’s not the climbing walls, the climbing walls are fine.

“It is all that other stuff.”

Despite the frustrations, Hamilton stressed Sport Climbing Australia wanted Ballina to succeed.

“We want to help them and help you, because we need more performance spaces in Australia,” she said.

From commercial gyms to Olympic pathways

One of the major challenges facing the sport nationally is the shortage of facilities designed for elite-level competition rather than recreational climbing.

Hamilton said many Australian climbing centres had been built primarily for participation and family use.

“There’s very few venues in Australia that we can come to, which is why Ballina is so attractive to us, because the walls are built at the right height,” she said.

She said the tension between commercial viability and elite sport standards was becoming increasingly apparent as climbing evolved into a serious Olympic pathway sport.

Hamilton said Ballina had the potential to become a significant training base for elite climbing teams ahead of the Brisbane Games, but warned upgrades to local facilities would be essential.

She said international federations would soon be looking for regional centres where overseas teams could base themselves for weeks before Olympic competition.

“A world championships we think is about $27 million,” she said.

“This venue wouldn’t be used for something like that, but it could be a place that, say, Germany come and base themselves here for six weeks.”

“Our venues are all built for participation, not performance,” she said.

The event has also showcased equipment linked directly to Olympic and Paralympic competition, with some climbing holds at the venue sourced through the Australian Institute of Sport’s investment in Paris Olympic infrastructure.

The top performers from Ballina will qualify for the World Championships in Italy later this year.

Hamilton said regional centres like Ballina remained vital to the future growth of Australian climbing.

“I’m very passionate about bringing sports to regional areas,” she said.

“But to do that we have to have facilities that meet certain standards.”