IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships

The IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships are the biennial world championships for competition climbing for people with disabilities organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). This event determines the male and female world champions in various categories.

The first event was organized in Arco in 2011, held together with the IFSC Climbing World Championships.

Classifications and Categories
A wide range of different people take part in Paraclimbing, including visually impaired climbers, climbers with limb differences and those with brain injuries or mobility impairments. Higher numbers equate to higher functionality (less impairment), lower numbers equate to lower functionality (more impairment). In the 2022-2023 season AU1 was permanently combined with RP1, and a new category of upper arm limb difference was added. AU3 is the designated sport class for athletes with limb differences between the wrist and tips of the fingers. With a minimum impairment of a loss of 6 finger joints across both hands. Prior to the creation of this sport class many AU3 athletes classified in RP3.

Merging
If there is an insufficient number of competitors in a given category, this category can be merged into another, 'harder' category. In world championships at least six athletes from four countries must compete in each category. Merges may be performed sequentially until the required number of competitors is met.