nusclimb

3 GENERAL RULES

3.2 CLIMBING WALL

3.2.1 The entire surface of the climbing wall shall be permitted to be used for climbing, with the following exceptions:
a) The holes created in the climbing wall for the placement of bolt-on holds shall not be used for climbing by a competitor’s hands;
b) Neither the side edges nor the top edge of the wall shall be used for climbing.

3.2.2 If there is a need to demarcate an area on the wall, or holds or features which are out-of-bounds, the demarcation shall be made using a continuous and clearly identifiable marking of the following colours:
a) Demarcation of areas, holds or features which are out-of-bounds and shall not be touched by a competitor shall be made with red colour;
b) Demarcation of areas, holds or features which are not allowed to be used for climbing but may be touched by a competitor shall be made with a colour other than red, preferably black.
If any demarcation other than those listed above is made, this shall be informed to all competitors.

3.3 SAFETY

3.3.1 The competition organiser shall be responsible for maintaining safety within the competition area and in the public section of the arena, and in relation to all activities connected to the running of the competition.

3.3.2 The Jury President, in consultation with the Chief Routesetter, shall have the authority to take decisions in respect to any question of safety within the competition area, including declining to give permission to start or continue any part of the competition. Any official or other person deemed by the President of the
Jury to have infringed, or being likely to infringe, on safety procedures shall be subject to removal from his/her duties and/or dismissal from the competition area.

3.3.4 Each route or boulder problem shall be designed so as to avoid the possibility of a competitor’s fall injuring the competitor, or injuring or obstructing any other competitor.

3.3.5 The Jury President, the UIAA Judge and the Chief Routesetter shall inspect each route or boulder problem prior to the start of each round of a competition in order to ensure the maintenance of safety standards.
In particular, the UIAA Judge and the Chief Routesetter shall ensure that all safety equipment and procedures comply with UIAA standards and UIAA Climbing regulations.

3.3.8 The Jury President shall verify that appropriately qualified medical personnel are in attendance in order to ensure a rapid response to any accident or injury to a competitor or official working inside the competition area.

3.3.9 If there are reasons to believe that a competitor is unfit to compete for any reason, such as injury or illness, then the Jury President has the authority to request a check-up of the competitor by the organisation doctor who will proceed with the following physical test:
a) Lower extremity: the competitor shall be able to do five consecutive single-leg jumps with each leg.
b) Upper extremity: the competitor shall be able to perform five consecutive push-ups using both arms.
If, following the results of this test, the organisation doctor is of the opinion that the competitor is unfit to compete, then the Jury President shall stop the competitor from competing. Should there, at a later stage, be evidence that the competitor has recovered, then he/she may request to undergo the approved physical tests again. If, following the results of such tests, the organisation doctor is of the opinion that the competitor is fit to compete, then the Jury President shall allow the competitor to compete.

3.3.10 Under no circumstances shall special provisions be made at the request of any competitor, e.g. descent to the ground from the top of a boulder problem by a ladder.

3.5 ISOLATION

3.5.1 All competitors eligible to compete in a round of a competition shall register upon entering the isolation zone no later than the time specified by the Jury President and published/announced by the competition organiser.

3.5.2 Only those persons specified below shall be permitted to enter the isolation zone:
a) UIAA Climbing Officials;
b) Organiser’s officials;
c) Competitors eligible to take part in the current round of the competition;
d) Authorised team officials;
e) Other persons specifically authorised by the Jury President. Such persons shall, throughout their stay in the isolation zone, be escorted and supervised by an approved official to ensure the maintenance of security of the isolation zone and prevent any undue distraction of, or interference with, any competitor.
Animals shall not be allowed in the isolation zone. Exceptions from this rule can be made if authorised by the Jury President.

3.5.3 Smoking is allowed only in specially designated areas, normally the area immediately outside the door to the isolation zone. When in this area, competitors or other persons are still under isolation conditions.

3.5.4 Competitors remain under isolation conditions throughout their stay in the competition area, including while in the call and competition zones. This means that they are not allowed to communicate in any way with persons outside the competition area, unless specifically authorised to do so by the Jury President.
Failure to observe this rule shall result in the disqualification of the competitor.

3.5.5 No competitor or Team Official is permitted to carry or use a cellular phone or similar electronic communication equipment; a computer; or a camera, video-camera or similar recording equipment while in the competition area, other than with the permission of the Jury President.

3.5.6 A competitor is not allowed to carry or use any audio listening equipment during observation and climbing.

3.6 OBSERVATION

3.6.1 Before the start of a round or attempt, competitors registered to take part in a particular round of a competition shall be permitted an observation period during which they shall be allowed to study the route(s) or problem. The specific rules for such observation are defined in the respective Sections for lead, bouldering and speed competitions.

3.6.2 While in the observation area, all competitors remain under the rules governing the isolation zone. Team officials shall not be permitted to accompany the competitors during the observation period. Competitors shall remain within the designated observation zone during the observation period. They are not permitted to climb on the climbing wall or stand on any equipment or furniture. Competitors shall not communicate in any way with any person outside the observation area. They may seek clarification only from judges.

3.6.4 Competitors shall have no knowledge of the route or boulder problem other than that obtained during the official observation period or that communicated to them by the Jury President or the judges.

3.6.5 It is the sole responsibility of each competitor to fully inform him-/herself in respect to all instructions regarding the route or boulder problem.

3.7 PREPARATION PRIOR TO CLIMBING

3.7.1 On receiving an official instruction to leave the isolation zone to proceed to the call zone, competitors shall not be accompanied by any person other than authorised officials.

3.7.2 On arrival in the call zone, each competitor shall make all final preparations for his/her attempt, such as putting on his/her climbing shoes, tying on to the rope etc., as relevant to the type of competition.

3.7.3 Each competitor shall be regarded as entirely and solely responsible for the equipment and clothing that he/she intends to wear during his/her attempt(s).

3.7.4 Each competitor shall be ready to leave the call zone and enter the competition zone when instructed to do so. Any undue delay in this regard may result in the issuing of a Yellow Card. Any further delay shall result in disqualification in accordance with Section 11.

3.8.5 The use of any other substance but chalk (magnesium carbonate) for competitors’ hands during an attempt on a route or problem can only be authorized by the Jury President.

3.9 WALL MAINTENANCE

3.9.1 The Chief Routesetter shall ensure that an experienced maintenance team is available throughout each round of the competition in order to perform any maintenance and repairs ordered by the UIAA Judge in an efficient and safe manner. Safety procedures shall be strictly enforced.

3.9.2 On the instruction of the UIAA Judge, the Chief Routesetter shall immediately arrange for any repair work.
On completion of a repair, it shall be inspected by the Chief Routesetter who shall advise the Jury
President whether the repair results in any unfair advantage or disadvantage to the following competitors.
The decision of the Jury President to continue, or to stop and re-start, that round of the competition shall be final, and no appeal shall be accepted in respect to this decision.

3.10 TECHNICAL INCIDENTS

3.10.1 A technical incident is defined as any occurrence that results in a disadvantage or unfair advantage to a competitor which is not the result of an action on the part of the competitor. The types of technical incidents, and the procedures to follow when they occur, are specified further under the respective Sections for lead, bouldering and speed competitions.

3.10.2 Generally, a technical incident shall be dealt with as follows:
a) Technical incident indicated by the UIAA Judge.
(i) If the competitor is still in a legitimate position, he/she may choose either to continue to climb or to accept the technical incident. If the competitor chooses to continue to attempt the route or the problem, no further appeal connected with that technical incident shall be accepted.
(ii) If the competitor is in a non-legitimate position due to the technical incident, the UIAA Judge shall make an immediate decision on whether to declare a technical incident and thereby terminate the competitor’s attempt on the route or the problem, and permit the competitor a subsequent attempt in accordance with the rules governing technical incidents for that particular discipline.
b) Technical incident indicated by a competitor.
(i) If the competitor is still in a legitimate position, the competitor shall specify the nature of the technical incident and, with the agreement of the UIAA Judge, may continue or cease climbing. If the competitor elects to continue to climb, no subsequent appeal shall be accepted in respect to that technical incident.
(ii) If the competitor is in a non-legitimate position due to the incident the UIAA Judge shall make an immediate decision and that decision shall be final.

3.10.3 The confirmation or non-confirmation of a technical incident is made by the UIAA Judge, if necessary in consultation with the Chief Routesetter. This decision shall be final.

5 BOULDERING

5.1 GENERAL

5.1.1 These rules shall be read in conjunction with Section 3, General Rules.

5.1.2 Bouldering competitions consist of a series of short routes, called problems. All problems shall be climbed without ropes. The number of handholds in each problem shall be at most 12 and the average number of handholds for each problem in one round shall be between 4 and 8.

5.1.3 All problems shall be protected by landing mats. It is the responsibility of the Chief Routesetter to position the mats provided by the organiser, and to adjust the number and character of the problems to the mats available. If mats are joined, the gaps shall be covered in order to avoid that competitors can fall in between them.

5.1.4 Bouldering competitions shall consist of three rounds, named qualification, semifinal and final rounds.
In the case of unforeseen events, one of the rounds may be cancelled. If one round is cancelled, then the results of the previous round shall count for the ranking.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), there will only be 2 rounds, namely Qualification and Finals)

5.1.5 The semifinal and final rounds shall be run on the same day. There shall be a minimum time gap of 2 hours between the end of the semifinal round and the beginning of the final round. The isolation closing time shall be a maximum of one hour before the start of the final round.
(Note: Not applicable to local competition as there will not be semifinals)

5.1.6 The number of problems in the qualification round shall be 6. The number of problems in the semifinal and final rounds shall be 4.
The number of problems in the qualification round may be reduced at the discretion of the Jury President.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), there will only be 4 problems available in the qualification round)

5.1.7 For safety reasons, the problems shall be made in such a way that the lowest part of the body of the competitor shall never be higher than 3 metres above the landing mat.

5.1.8 For safety reasons, downward jumps shall not be designed.

5.1.10 Each problem shall have a pre-designated starting position from which all attempts shall start. It shall consist of at least fixed and marked positions for the two hands, and may include fixed and marked positions for either one or both feet. These starting positions shall be clearly marked, and the marking shall be the same for all the problems. The colour used shall be different from those used to mark the bonus holds, and demarcations in accordance with Article 3.2.2. At the discretion of the Chief Routesetter the pre-designated starting holds may be labelled left and right.

5.1.11 One bonus point will be awarded for holding a specified hold on the problem. The positioning of this hold will be at the routesetter’s discretion. This hold shall be clearly marked, and the marking shall be the same for all the problems. The colour used shall be different from those used to mark the starting and finishing holds, and demarcations in accordance with Article 3.2.2. The bonus point will be awarded also in the case of a competitor having successfully completed an attempt without having held the bonus hold.

5.1.12 The finishing hold shall be clearly marked in the same colour as the starting hold(s). In some cases it is possible that successful completion of the problem can be attained by a standing position on the top of the problem.

5.1.13 The markings used in relation to Articles 5.1.10, 5.1.11 and 5.1.12 shall be the same for the entire duration of competition. An example shall be installed on the isolation zone practice wall.

5.1.15 The final round shall be run simultaneously for both the men and women categories.

5.2 OBSERVATION

5.2.1 No separate observation period is allowed as the observation period is part of the allocated time for the problem.

5.2.2 Competitors shall remain within the designated observation zone during the observation period. They are not permitted to climb on the climbing wall or stand on any equipment or furniture. Competitors shall not communicate in any way with any person outside the observation area. They may seek clarification only from the Jury President, the UIAA Judge or the Problem Judge or Assistant assigned to the problem.
Touching with hands or feet, or chalking, holds other than the starting holds, or adding tick marks, during observation shall be counted as one attempt on the problem.

5.3 CLIMBING PROCEDURE

5.3.1 In the qualification and semifinal rounds of a competition, competitors shall attempt the problems in the prescribed order. After each problem the competitor has a rest-period equal to the allocated problem time, called the rotation period, which shall be 6 minutes. Each problem shall include a clearly marked area from which the competitor can see the problem, and which shall include the safety matting.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), rotation period will be updated during the briefing on the day of competition)

5.3.2 At the end of the rotation period, the competitors that are climbing shall stop climbing and enter the resting area. This area shall not allow observation of any problem. The competitor who has finished his/her resting period shall move on to the next problem.

5.3.3 In the final round, each problem shall be attempted by all competitors, in the order of their starting numbers, before moving on to the next problem.

5.3.4 The rotation period during the final round shall be 4 minutes. If a competitor finishes his/her attempt before 4 minutes has passed, he/she shall return to separate isolation in the transit area and the next competitor shall start his/her rotation period immediately. Warm-up facilities shall be available in the transit area.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), rotation period will be updated during the briefing on the day of competition)

5.3.5 When all competitors have finished their attempts on the first problem during the final round, they shall move to the second problem. A similar procedure is followed for the remaining two problems.

5.3.6 An attempt on a problem is deemed to have started when every part of the body of the competitor has left the ground.

5.3.7 The beginning (and ending) of every rotation period shall be announced by a loud and clear signal.
When one minute remains of the rotation time, this will be announced with a different signal.

5.3.8 All holds shall be cleaned by the Problem Judge or the Assistant before the competitor begins his/her first attempt on a problem. A competitor may also request that holds be cleaned before any attempt on the problem. Brushes or other materials may be used by competitors to clean holds that may be reached from the ground. Only brushes or other materials that are provided by the organization and that are available at every problem shall be used for this purpose.

5.4 END OF AN ATTEMPT

5.4.1 An attempt is considered successful when the finishing hold is held with both hands and the Problem
Judge announces “OK”.
In the case where a successful completion of a problem is attained by a standing position in accordance with Article 5.1.12, an attempt is considered successful when a competitor is established in the specified standing position and the Problem Judge announces “OK”.

5.4.2 An attempt is considered finished in the case of a return to the ground or at the end of the allocated rotation time.

5.4.3 The competitor shall be stopped if he/she trespasses demarcations in accordance with Article 3.2.2.

5.5 TECHNICAL INCIDENTS

5.5.1 A technical incident in bouldering competitions is defined as:
a) A broken or loose hold;
b) Any other occurrence that results in a disadvantage or unfair advantage to a competitor which is not the result of an action on the part of the competitor.

5.5.2 If, during the qualification and semifinal rounds, a confirmed technical incident concerns a broken or loose hold or any other occurrence which can be repaired or fixed before the end of the current rotation period, the competitor involved will be offered the opportunity to continue with his/her attempts. If the competitor elects to continue then the technical incident is finished and no further appeals shall be allowed. If the competitor elects to not continue his/her attempts within the current rotation period then the competitor will resume his/her attempts after completing the competition round. In this instance the
Jury President will decide when a gap of time shall be made to allow the competitor to continue his/her attempts. The competitor shall be allowed the time remaining at the moment when the incident occurred, with a minimum of two minutes.

5.5.3 If, during the qualification and semifinal rounds, the repair can not be effected before the end of the rotation time, at the signal announcing the end of the rotation time, the round will be stopped for the competitor who has suffered the technical incident as well as for all competitors on the preceding problems. For all the other competitors, the round continues. After repair, the competitor who has suffered the technical incident shall be allowed the time remaining at the moment the incident occurred, with a minimum of two minutes in a rotation time. After this time, the competition starts again at the rotation signal for all the competitors.

5.5.4 If a technical incident occurs during the final round, the competitor suffering the technical incident shall return to separate isolation in the transit zone and await the repair. When the repair has been effected, the competitor shall re-commence his/her attempts. The competitor shall be allowed the time remaining at the moment when the technical incident occurred, with a minimum of two minutes.

5.5.5 In the event of a technical incident having occurred, the first attempt made by the competitor who has suffered the technical incident, on the same problem, after the attempt in which the technical incident occurred shall be deemed a continuation of that attempt.

5.6 RANKING AFTER EACH ROUND

5.6.1 After each round of the competition, the competitors shall be ranked according to the following criteria:
a) The number of successfully completed problems;
b) The total number of attempts to complete these problems;
c) The total number of bonus points;
d) The total number of attempts to complete these bonus points.
5.6.2 In the case of tied places, the results of the successively preceding rounds shall be taken into account in the count-back procedure. The countback procedure shall not be applied to an earlier round in the case where the tied competitors have competed in different groups in that round.

5.6.3 If after applying the count-back procedure there is a tie for the first place at the end of the final round, a superfinal shall be held on one problem.
Each tied competitor shall make only one attempt in the same order as for the final. A pre-designated period is fixed in consultation with the Chief Routesetter and the attempt shall be started before 40 seconds.
The performance of each competitor will be judged in accordance with Articles 4.7.1, 4.7.2 and 4.7.3 of the lead competition rules. After their attempts, the competitors are ranked. If several competitors have reached the top, they are deemed equal and the final ranking is announced. If nobody has reached the top and if there are still tied competitors in the first place, the competitors in the first place shall make another attempt following the same procedure until they are separated, up to a maximum of 6 attempts.
If a tie still exists after the 6th attempt, the competitors shall be deemed equal.

5.7 QUOTAS FOR EACH ROUND

5.7.1 Sub-section 5.7 shall be read in conjunction with Sub-section 5.6 above, i.e. the ranking procedure shall first be completed before Sub-section 5.7 applies.

5.7.2 Where there are insufficient competitors who have successfully completed the problems in the preceding round of the competition, the remaining places of the fixed quota shall be filled by the next best ranked competitors.

5.7.3 The fixed quota for the final round 6. If the fixed quota for final rounds is exceeded as a result of tied places following the application of the countback procedure, this higher number of competitors shall qualify for the round.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), fixed quota for final rounds will be updated during the briefing on the day of competition)

12 APPEALS

12.1 GENERAL

12.1.1 All oral and written appeals and official responses to appeals shall be made in English.

12.1.2 An appeal shall only be accepted if accompanied by the official appeal fee.
(Note: For Local Competition (Singapore), official appeal fee will be SGD$50.00)

12.2 COMPETITION APPEALS JURY

12.2.1 In the case of a written appeal, or in the case of a verbal appeal in accordance with Articles 12.3.1 and 12.4.2(b) below, the Jury President shall convene an Appeals Jury. The members of the Appeals Jury will be the Jury President and the UIAA Climbing Delegate. If the Jury President has been involved in the original decision and the UIAA Judge has not, then the UIAA Judge will take the place of the Jury President. If the Jury can not come to a unanimous decision on the appeal, the original decision shall stand. A decision shall be made as rapidly as circumstances allow. In the case of written appeals, the decision of the Appeal Jury shall be made in writing and handed by the Jury President to the person who officially lodged the appeal or, in the case of an appeal under 12.4.2(b) below, the team manager and/or competitor shall be informed.

12.2.2 The decision of the Appeals Jury in respect to Articles 12.3 and 12.4 below of these rules shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

12.4 APPEALS AGAINST PUBLISHED RESULTS

12.4.1 An appeal against the ranking of a competitor after the completion of a round of the competition, and after the official results have been published, shall be made no later than 30 minutes after the publication of the results. The appeal shall be made only following the publication of the results at the end of each round of a competition. The appeal shall be made in writing to the Jury President by the team manager or, where an official team manager is not present, by the competitor. The appeal shall be accompanied by the relevant appeals fee stipulated by UIAA Climbing, which shall be paid to the UIAA Climbing Delegate.

12.5 COMPLAINTS TO THE DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION

12.5.1 In those cases where the Jury President assesses that an infringement of the rules merits consideration by the UIAA Climbing Disciplinary Commission, the matter shall be referred to the disciplinary body together with the Jury President’s report, copies of written communications between the Jury President and the team manager/competitor concerned, and all relevant evidence.

12.7 APPEALS FEE

12.7.2 If an appeal is upheld, the appeals fee shall be returned. If an appeal is rejected, the appeals fee shall not be returned.

REMARKS:
1. The above rules and regulations will be subject to changes without prior notice. It is responsibility of the competitors to update themselves on the changes.
2. Jury President & ICC Judge refers to the Chief Judge.
3. The ICC Delegate refers to the SMF Delegate.