After a successful initiation on the World Climbing circuit in 2025, Krakow once again plays host with some more firsts – a bigger wall with more climbers, and new formats that will test teamwork and tactics.

Individual Speed is the headliner but with a difference. In Krakow there will be four climbers racing against each other instead of two which has been seen in all previous World Climbing events up until this point.

There has been a four-lane wall at competitions like The World Games and the Asian Games, but this will be the first time the larger wall will be seen in a World Climbing Series event.

As well as the individual competition, which will count towards the World Climbing Series 2026 rankings, there will also be team relays for men, women and a mix gender competition.

Close to 140 athletes are registered to take part, with some focusing on a specific competition, and others in Krakow to take full advantage of the opportunity for racing on the international stage by doing multiple competitions.

One of the climbers who is registered and planning to do more than one, is Kazakhstan’s Amir Maimuratov.

Talking about being back in Poland Maimuratov said: “I am very excited for every competition, and also I like the whole magical atmosphere here in Krakow.”

Explaining his Krakow plans Maimuratov said: “I am doing individual speed and the men’s relay, though I am skipping mixed, because I want to concentrate all my strength on these two events.”

Looking specifically at the new team relay, Maimuratov said: “The relay is a good opportunity to have fun with your friend and enjoy the competition even more.

“We don’t have special tactics, and we didn’t even practice it, because my teammate is currently studying and living in a different country.”

Tactics and teammates will play a big role in relays. Who is going first or second, even picking the right teammates to compete with can be key. Some countries and teams may not even show their partnerships until much closer to the registration confirmation. But, in this case, we know Maimuratov will be competing alongside Damir Toktarov.

For Maimuratov, there has been a big change in his life fairly recently as he became a father for the first time. Talking about how his life is now Maimuratov said: “I became a father last year and it is indescribable and magical, because I have always dreamt to be a father for a long time.

“My son motivates me to be a better version of myself, so I try hard even more in each training session.”

Bringing the focus back to Krakow Maimuratov said: “My goal is always to show my best, when I play something, I always play to win. Also, I want to enjoy every competition I participate in.”

Although there is a range of formats for spectators and athletes to enjoy, the focus for many will be on the individual first.

The likes of world record holder, China’s Yicheng Zhao will continue his back and forth with USA’s Sam Watson. The Indonesian team boast names like Olympic gold medallist Veddriq Leonardo. There’s lots of European interest from climbers like Germany’s Leander Carmanns and Italy’s Matteo Zurloni, while Japan’s Ryo Omasa is no stranger to going deep into a competition.

On the women’s side you can’t look past Olympic champion Aleksandra Miroslaw who has said that Krakow will be her World Climbing swansong, and her way to say goodbye and thank you to the people of Poland for their support.

Miroslaw will have competition from her own nation with the Kalucka sisters, Natalia and Aleksandra, both set to compete as well as from further afield like USA’s Emma Hunt and Indonesia’s Desak Dewi.

China’s Lijuan Deng is once again part of a strong Chinese women’s team who will fancy their chances in the relays as well as the individual after gaining valuable experience in the Asian Games.

The individual competition will be hotly contested as always, and it will be interesting for all to see how the relays will play out with some having more experience than others, and some maybe benefitting from release of tension that the individual competition might have.

Krakow is set to be a Speed spectacular, and the first of many more to come.

News and updates about all World Climbing events will be available on the World Climbing website, and on the Federation’s digital channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and exclusively for the Chinese audience, Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu.