When and how to watch the Tokyo Olympics Climbing Events

This year there are more ways to watch the Olympic games than ever before. Every event can be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, and many can also be seen on partnering NBC channels like USA Network, CNBC, as well as streaming services, like YouTube, Hulu, and Peacock.

We’re only days away from the first climbing event at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. Don’t miss Men's and Women's Sport Climbing in a combined event comprised of three disciplines: lead, bouldering, and speed climbing.

NBC’s broadcast schedule of upcoming climbing events:

August 3: Men’s Qualification | Venue: Aomi Urban Sports Park
Speed - 2:00 am (MT) / 4:00 am (EST)
Bouldering - 3:00 am (MT) / 5:00 am (EST)
Lead - 6:10 am (MT) / 8:10 am (EST)

August 4: Women’s Combined Qualification | Venue: Aomi Urban Sports Park
Speed - 2:00 am (MT) / 4:00 am (EST)
Bouldering - 3:00 am (MT) / 5:00 am (EST)
Lead - 6:10 am (MT) / 8:10 am (EST)

August 5: Men’s Combined Final | Venue: Aomi Urban Sports Park
Speed - 2:30 am (MT) / 4:30 am (EST)
Bouldering - 3:30 am (MT) / 5:30 am (EST)
Lead - 6:10 am (MT) / 8:10 am (EST)
Men’s Combined Victory Ceremony

August 6: Women’s Combined Final | Venue: Aomi Urban Sports Park
Speed - 2:30 am (MT) / 4:30 am (EST)
Bouldering - 3:30 am (MT) / 5:30 am (EST)
Lead - 6:10 am (MT) / 8:10 am (EST)
Women’s Combined Victory Ceremony

Before you watch, how are these events scored?

Unlike typical climbing events, the Olympics is scoring climbers based on their performance in all three disciplines. Each score in boulder, lead, and speed are multiplied to get a final score. The placement of each climber in each discipline is used as their score in that discipline. First Place gets a score of 1, second a score of 2, and so forth.

For example if a climber scored first in lead, third in bouldering, and fifth in speed, their combined score would be 1 x 3 x 5 = 15. The climber with the lowest final score gets the gold.

Individual discipline scoring

Lead: Each handhold earns the climber 1 point. If the climber falls, misses or fails to clip into a quickdraw, the climber's turn ends, and their score is tallied. A panel of judges will determine if a climber deserves a score on a hold if their control on the hold is in question.

Bouldering: In boulder, climbers get 4 minutes to attempt a bouldering problem as many times as needed. Once the time is up they will move to the next problem. Climbers will be ranked on their ability to firmly match both hands on the top handhold of each boulder. But climbers will also get partial credit for reaching the zone hold placed midway up the problem.

Speed: Speed is a straightforward bracket tournament structure. Climbers will compete head-to-head in heats, climbing an identical, standardized route. The climber with the fastest time wins and moves on to the next heat. Learn more about Speed Climbing at the Olympics here.

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