Last year the competition was known as the IFSC World Cup Comunidad de Madrid. As the event returns for a second successive time, lots of things have changed.

IFSC is now World Climbing. The World Cup is the World Climbing Series. Both the same, but also different. Last year the competition was in the Lead discipline, and now this year there is both Boulder and Speed to capture the imagination of the Spanish crowds.

An image from last year’s competition was Dohyun Lee with his head in his hands in disbelief that he had finally ticked off a gold medal in Lead. The South Korean is probably known more for Boulder, although he is now the Lead world champion, so he will be hoping for more Madrid memories.

Looking back at his win last year Lee said: “The moment I secured first place is probably what I remember the most. Winning a Lead competition had been a long-time dream of mine, and the emotions I felt for the first time in that moment were impossible to describe.”

With so much emotion, could they affect his climbing this time around?

“When I compete, no matter where it is, I just focus on myself and my climbing, so I don’t think I’ll get too emotional during the competition. But if I win there again…then maybe even I won’t know how I’ll feel.”

The Boulder competition will be the third in the series with Japan’s Sorato Anraku out in front of the Euroholds rankings with two wins from the two events. For Lee it’s not been the start he would have imagined coming off the back of a very strong 2025 results wise.

“There have been both good moments and disappointing moments this season, but I think all of it is part of the process of reaching my goals. Honestly, I feel a little confused and overwhelmed right now, but I’m sure these emotions will help me grow and become stronger.”

Lee, like Anraku, is a climber that competes at the very top of Boulder and Lead, and now they offer separate medals at LA28, climbers have some choices to make. Boulder. Lead. Or both.

For Lee: “I think I’ll have to think more about it after this season ends. For now, I still really enjoy both Lead and Boulder, and I love competing in both disciplines.”

With the trip to Alcobendas in Madrid so soon after the last competition in Bern, a lot of climbers can be seen on the start list for both with the likes of medallists Mejdi Schalck and Hannes Van Duysen and finalists Max Milne and Colin Duffy making the trip south.

For the women’s competition, the newest edition to the gold medal winning list, Oce Mackenzie, will look to capitalise on a great run of podium form. As well as Bern gold the Australian also took a bronze medal in Keqaio at the series opener.

There’s national interest for the home crowd from climbers like Geila Macià Martín in a women’s team of seven.

France and Japan once again bring strong teams with Bern finalists Oriane Bertone and Melody Sekikawa among the names from those nations.

As well as established and experienced names, there are also climbers making their debut at this level. There’s a mix of nations that have travelled to Madrid, some from further than others. Saray Garcia has come from Columbia while Mariana Almeida made the relatively short trip from neighbouring Portugal.

WHERE TO WATCH

The World Climbing Series Comunidad de Madrid 2026 opens with women’s Boulder qualification starting at 10:00 (UTC+2:00), followed by men’s qualification at 16:30.

The semi-final and final rounds will be live streamed on the World Climbing YouTube channel, with geo-blocking applied to selected countries and territories.

News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the official website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Bilibili, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.