Ice Climbing European Cup [Domžale, Slovenia]

World Cup event with the best Slovenian sport climbers at the new venue in Koper

Thursday 25th of August, 19:00 PZS 5176 views

After twenty-five years of organizing elite-level sport climbing events in Kranj, the next World Cup will be held in the coastal town of Koper. This year, for the first time ever, the 26th World Cup event will be held at the outside wall of the Koper - Plus Climbing centre on the 2nd and 3rd September 2022. As many as 123 climbers from twenty-four countries will take part, including the 17-strong Slovenian team with the European champion Janja Garnbret.

For the first time, Koper and its Koper - Plus Climbing centre, which was built by the Koper City Municipality, will host a World Cup event, which is organized by the Alpine Association of Slovenia in association with the International Federation of Sport Climbing.

The Slovenian team has just returned from the European Championships in Munich, where they won five medals. Janja Garnbret won three golds (lead, boulder, combination), Luka Potočar won silver in lead, and Mia Krampl won another silver medal in combination. Other Slovenian climbers also did very well, showing once again that Slovenia has one of the best teams in the world.

Among the 123 competitors at this year's event, there will also be a very strong Slovenian team consisting of seventeen climbers. The women's team will be made up of Janja Garnbret, Mia Krampl, Vita Lukan, Lučka Rakovec, Tjaša Slemenšek, Lana Skušek, Katja Debevec, Sara Čopar, and Rebeka Kamin. On the men's side of things, the team will consist of Luka Potočar, Domen Škofic, Milan Preskar, Martin Bergant, Matic Kotar, Anže Peharc, Zan Lovenjak Sudar, and Gregor Vezonik.

"Janja is completely dominating this year's World Cup season and I'm happy to see the others climbing at a high level as well, which is reflected in the medals our team has won at the European Championships. But I'm always looking for as many Slovenian climbers in the finals, which makes the events that much more enjoyable, although I know that it's not easy. I think our team has shown time and time again they're among the best in the world and I'm sure they're going to show it once again in Koper with the support of the crowd giving them that extra bit of motivation and strength," said Gorazd Hren, Slovenia's head coach.

Gremo naši! (Foto: Matic Klanšek Velej/ Sportida)

Janja Garnbret, the best female sport climber in the world, will be competing in Koper after having won three gold medals at the European Championships. But despite all of her incredible achievements, she's still as driven as ever. "I'll be going into the Koper World Cup with the same goal as always: winning. I'm aware, though, that competing in front of a home crowd can sometimes be harder and more stressful as you're trying as hard as possible to be at your very best. I'll concentrate on staying completely focused and try to enjoy my climbing." The crowds all over the world always cheer for her but the support of the home crowd adds that extra bit of motivation. "I know that my friends, former teachers, professors, schoolmates, and relatives will all be there. There'll also be plenty of kids that look up to us. All that is extra motivation. When I hear Slovenian words of encouragement from the crowd, I can maybe get another hold or two higher than I normally would."

The event will have an attractive accompanying programme on both Friday and Saturday. The Alpine Association of Slovenia, together with the Koper City Municipality, has prepared a two-day climbing programme for the general public.

Janja Garnbret (Foto: Matic Klanšek Velej/ Sportida)

All the relevant details, results of all the rounds, and photos will be available on the event's website (worldcupslo.com), as well as on the Alpine Association of Slovenia's website and our social media.

The finals will be broadcast live by TV Slovenija, Slovenia's national broadcaster. The general sponsor of the Koper World Cup 2022 is the Prva insurance company, and the major sponsors are the Slovenian Tourist Board and Adidas; the event is co-organized by the Koper City Municipality. A big thank you to all of them.