La Sportiva: objective Tokyo 2020 with the Italian Sport Climbing Federation

From the very first climbing competitions at Bardonecchia and the Arco Rock Master back in the mid 1980’s all the way to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games there is a common thread that links over 30 years of climbing competitions. A yellow thread one could say, seeing that this is historically the colour of La Sportiva who, ever since the first climbing competitons, has now underlined its role by signing a three-year partnership with the Italian Sport Climbing Federation. The stated goal is to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where, for the first time, climbing will be an official Olympic sport.

In order to reach this historic moment La Sportiva will provide technical competition and lifestyle clothing for all of the 170 athletes in the National team from the youth sector to the number one team and the paraclimbing team, including technicians and coaches. The garments will be specifically designed for competition athletes and thanks to the use of breathable fabrics, anti-bacterial treatments and anti-rubbing solutions, products will guarantee maximum comfort, performance and perfect compatibility with the use of a harness.

"This partnership is a historic moment for us" commented Lorenzo Delladio, CEO & President La Sportiva "and is almost the crowning moment of a journey during which our company has always played a role in the evolution of this sport: I can vividly remember the first Masters, when we worked hand-in-hand with our athletes in order to understand what they needed to perform at the cutting-edge, and to make our products evolve with the. Today we can provide them with everything they need, from head to toe, and we will still be with them, this time (hopefully) on the Olympic podiums."

Many Italian climbers already use La Sportiva climbing shoes and apparel such as Stefano Ghisolfi (2nd in the world ranking), Marcello Bombardi, Riccardo Piazza, Michael Piccolruaz, Ludovico Fossali and Martina Zanetti. Many of these athletes were present at the Milano Climbing Expo last Saturday when the partnership was announced, as were the new FASI sports director Daniele Crespi (brother and former coach of Flavio Crespi, the first and so far only Italian to win a Lead World Cup) and the FASI technical director Matteo Pastore.

Giampietro Pastore, CONI Extraordinary Commissioner, explained "At present the Federation is mainly focused on achieving an Olympic qualification, which would be historic. All those who are committed to this goal deserve our thanks and our gratitude. We are very pleased to be able to count, as of today, on the experience and professionalism of a partner like La Sportiva. I hope that together we can take Italian sport climbing as far as possible."

Info: www.lasportiva.com