Paraclimbing: It may be new to the IOC, but it’s not new to the NAC

Paraclimbing to make first IPC appearance in the L.A. 2028 Summer Olympic Games after a presence in Park City and Salt Lake City for years. Photo: National Ability Center // Sophie Morgan, Wesley Heustess

PARK CITY, Utah — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced earlier in the summer that the sport of Paraclimbing will now make its debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Paralympic Games. 

This addition to the world’s biggest sports stage is exciting but not surprising to Park City’s National Ability Center (NAC) or Salt Lake City’s USA Climbing, which recently hosted a Paraclimbing World Cup.

The NAC has two campuses in Park City: the Mountain Center, which specializes in skiing and snowboarding, and the Ranch, which focuses on equestrian, archery, yoga, mountain biking, road cycling, ropes courses, water skiing, and, yes, para climbing—a robust list that has been in place since its inception in the ’80s.

Jane Hudson, is the NAC’s recreation and adventure program specialist. She told TownLift, “I have witnessed hundreds of people who thought rock climbing was never available to them reach the top of our wall and leave with a new sense of self-confidence and accomplishment. With tools like a mechanical advantage haul system, seated Arc harnesses, experienced side climbers and a whole lot of encouragement, rock climbing can truly be for everyone. I am looking forward to watching the athletes participating in the Paralympics and giving our participants new role models for what they can achieve.”

LA28 is the first organizing committee to add the new sport, Paraclimbing, for inclusion in the 2028 Paralympic Sport Program.

“It has been quite a journey, one led by amazing athletes, and an ongoing effort to see this day come to reality,” said Marc Norman, CEO and president of USA Climbing, on social media. “We’d like to thank LA28 for recognizing our athletes.” Norman is a former executive at the Utah Olympic Park and the husband of Catherine Raney-Norman, who is on her way to Paris as the Board President of the SLC-UTAH 2034 Committee for the Games.

She told TownLift on Monday in Salt Lake City that the husband and wife Utah sport power couple balance her involvement in the Winter Olympic orbit, and his in the summer is a fun balancing act that has its logistical challenges. She’s excited to support him in Paris and vice versa, and ideally, carve out a moment or two to take it all in and enjoy the 2024 Games. As a retired speed skater, spectating the Summer Olympics is a “cool change,” for her, she said.