Sport Climbing is one of the newest additions to the Olympic sporting menu. In Paris, climbers tackle two distinct disciplines - boulder/lead, and speed climbing. In this special episode, we are joined by Tim Cross, a science writer with The Economist, to reveal the hidden side of sport climbing. We talk about the differences between these disciplines, and how the competitions are scored and won. We also about the physiological demands of the sport, the ideal body types for climbing, and how route design presents new challenges for climbers that means that climbing excellence is both art and science, mental and physical. Join Discourse If you're enjoying of Paris Daily podcasts, and generally love sports science, consider a small donation to become a Patron of the site, and get access to our Discourse community, where you can join like-minded fans and sports enthusiasts to keep the conversation going. The IFSC Policy for RED-S, as discussed on the podcast For Discourse members only, Discourse Member Julia Littlefair shared some really interesting thoughts on the RED-S issue. This thread also includes links to other interesting material on this issue. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.