The World Climbing Series 2026 opener is taking place at the Yangshan Climbing Center
The first event of the World Climbing Series 2026 will take place at the Yangshan Climbing Center in Keqiao, China, from 1 to 3 May. In total, 144 athletes are registered to compete – 69 women and 75 men – representing 31 nations across five continents.
Throughout the Series, the semi-final and final rounds of all Boulder and Lead competitions will be live streamed on the World Climbing YouTube channel, with geo-blocking applied in selected countries and territories.
Speed qualifications and finals will also be streamed live on YouTube, with geo-restrictions applied only to the finals.
The list of rightsholders for the event is as follows:
| TERRITORY | PROGRAMME | WHERE TO WATCH |
| Africa | Live and on-demand | YouTube |
| Asia, barring China and Chinese Taipei | Live and on-demand | YouTube |
| Brazil | Live or delayed | Globo |
| Central and South America, barring Brazil and Mexico | Live and on-demand | YouTube |
| China | Live and on-demand | Bilibili |
| Chinese Taipei | Live or delayed | ELTA TV |
| Europe | Live and on-demand | Eurosport/Discovery Plus/HBO Max |
| Delayed 24 hours | Olympic Channel | |
| Mexico | Live or delayed | TV Azteca |
| North America | Live and on-demand | YouTube |
| Oceania | Live and on-demand | YouTube |
| South Korea | Live | YouTube |
| Delayed | IB Sports |
SCHEDULE
The schedule of the event in Keqiao is as follows:
Friday, 1 May (UTC+8:00):
9:00 - Women's Boulder qualification
16:00 - Men's Boulder qualification
Saturday, 2 May:
10:30 - Women's Boulder semi-final
19:00 - Women's Boulder final
Sunday, 3 May:
10:30 - Men's Boulder semi-final
19:00 - Men's Boulder final
News and updates about the event will be available on the World Climbing 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.