Competitive climbing has a problem with eating disorders. That’s the message from both climbers and officials during a year of complaints and accusations against those in charge of the sport’s biggest organizations.
Two medical officials at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) resigned this summer over frustration with the organization’s reluctance to implement screening measures. This year, USA Climbing began testing athletes for eating disorders. But, several experts say its current tests are insufficient to actually detect climbers with a problem.
Meanwhile, professional climbers like Janja Garnbret and Alannah Yip have sounded the alarm that eating disorders have become widespread in the sport and demanded increased testing.
“In a sport where you are fighting gravity, weight clearly plays a role,” Yip wrote on Instagram.
For climbers with an eating disorder, increased testing could put their careers in jeopardy. But in truth, the stakes are much higher: Eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate of any mental illness. So, detecting athletes with this condition could do more than just maintain the integrity of competitions — it could literally save lives.
To understand how climbing officials should conduct testing, GearJunkie interviewed three experts with over 25 years of combined experience treating athletes with eating disorders.
They said increased testing could help climbers who need it. But, how to institute that testing? The answer, it turns out, might be as tricky as any elite-level boulder problem.
Eating Disorders in Climbing
Eating Disorders in Climbing: ‘A Dirty Little Secret’
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Problems With BMI
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USA Climbing Starts Testing Athletes
- A questionnaire that asks athletes their views about weight, performance, and their relationship with food
- A mental health assessment called the SMHAT-1
- A BMI test
Is Reliable Testing Doable?
The Power of Sport
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