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Rules and Regulations

Venue:   Phuket Island, Thailand
Competitors:   16 (+ or -)
Judges:   2 Route Judges and a Chief Judge
Duration of Climb:   Approximately 10-30 seconds

Competition Format:
Semifinal Round:
Two separate, but identical, routes. Each competitor finishes by touching a climbing hold above a designated line. At the end of the Semifinal Round, the competitors are ranked 1-16 (+ or -) based on their semifinal run times. The top 16 (or 8 competitors) are seeded on those times and advance into the Final Round.

Final Round:
A seeded head-to-head, single elimination, bracketed round. Each competitor finishes by touching a climbing hold above a designated line. The competitor with the lower run time advances, and the competitor with the higher run time falls out of the competition.

Competition Flow:
Semifinal Round:
The competitors will run in pairs. Competitors assigned "odd number" posting orders will run on the left route while competitors with "even number" posting orders will run on the right route. For example, #1 will be on the left route; #2 will be on the right route; #1 and #2 will run at the same time.

Final Round:
The 16 (or 8) person field is seeded in head-to-head, single elimination, bracketed format. The competitor in the top leg of the bracket is assigned to the left route while the competitor in the bottom leg of the bracket is assigned to the right route.
Note: Competition flow will alternate back and forth between Women and Men (e.g., Women's Bracket A to Men's Bracket A to Women's Bracket B to Men's Bracket B, etc.)

Bracket Start Procedure:
The Chief Judge, having verified the route judges, belayers, and production are ready will begin the following Start Sequence in English:

Starter: "Climbers Approach the Wall"

Starter: "Take Your Mark"

Starter: " Set"

Starter: Fires a gun to start the race and the clock.

False Starts: If a Route Judge feels that a climber has lifted their last foot from the ground, between the "Climbers Set" command and the firing of the gun, that Route Judge will indicate a false start by that climber. The Route Judge will sound a continuous horn blast to stop both climbers, and the start sequence will be repeated. Each climber is allowed one false start per run without penalty. If a climber false starts twice on the same run, the run is not interrupted again; however the offending climber will receive the maximum run time, i.e., 90 seconds, for the run.

Computation of Scores:
Semifinal Round:
semifinal run time: the elapsed time, in hundredths of seconds.
maximum run time: 90 seconds

Final Round:
run time: elapsed time, in hundredths of seconds.

Resolving Ties:
Semifinal Round:
Ties for rankings #1-#16 (or #1-#8) will re-run. The competitors with the faster run times will receive the higher seeds.

Final Round:
For ties at the end of any A and B bracket (or just A bracket if 8 competitors), the higher seed will break all ties both for advancing and for final ranking. Losers of A brackets will be ranked #9-#16 (or #5-#8 if 8 competitors); Losers of B brackets will be ranked #5-#8 (if 16 competitors). Competitors tied at the end of brackets 1D or 1E (or 1C or 1D if 8 competitors) (i.e., 1st through 4th place), will rerun until ties are resolved. Reruns will take place after a minimum of 5 minutes rest.

Penalties:
A competitor will receive the maximum run time if:
1) They touch the wall with any part of the body beyond the boundary of the route.
2) They use any prohibited holds or protection points.
3) They false start twice on the same run.
4) In the Semifinal Round a technical incident that they request is denied.

Technical Incidents:
A technical incident is defined as:
a) A tight rope hinders a competitor;
b) A hold is broken or loose;
c) Any other occurrence that results in a disadvantage or unfair advantage to a competitor that is not the result of an action on the part of the competitor.

If the Route Judge and / or the Chief Judge grant a technical incident during an attempt on the Speed Wall, then the following occurs:

Semifinal Round
The climber will re-run at the end of the round. A minimum five-minute rest period will be observed before the climber re-runs. The climber will be given the faster of the 2 run times if the 1st run was indeed finished.

Final Round
The bracket is re-run at the end of the round. A minimum five-minute rest period will be observed before the bracket is re-run. The bracket is then run as if for the first time (i.e., the previous results of that bracket are negated.)

If a technical is denied in the Final Round, then the protesting competitor is eliminated from the bracket and the other climber automatically advances to the next round of bracket competition.

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