India’s Climbing Scene Is Stuck in a Federation Fight
- Pierre-Gaël Pasquiou
- 24 hours ago
- 7 min read
In India, two organizations are fighting over who gets to represent sport climbing. One is recognized by World Climbing. The other claims the country needs a dedicated national federation. Caught in the middle are athletes short on money, visibility, and, at times, answers. Vertige Media examined years of documents and spoke with the key players behind a governance dispute that is slowing Indian climbing’s rise.
Behind the alphabet soup of organizations and legitimacy claims, the consequences are immediate: visas that are hard to plan for, flights booked at the last minute, competitions prepared in uncertainty, and public funding caught in the middle. Official letters, court orders, federation exchanges: Vertige Media reviewed several years of documents and collected responses from World Climbing, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, and the Sport Climbing Federation of India. On the ground, several athletes and people close to the sport describe an opaque, underfunded system where fear of losing opportunities shapes what people are willing to say.
Two Ropes
The first organization in this tangle is the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, or IMF. Created in the wake of an Indian expedition to Cho Oyu, an 8,000-meter peak in the Himalaya, the organization officially became the IMF in 1961. It later joined the IFSC on January 27, 2007, as one of the 57 founding federations of the international governing body now known as World Climbing.
“Indian climbers are suffering and are being deprived of their dues”
Indian Olympic Association (IOA)
Facing it is the Sport Climbing Federation of India, or SCFI, which says India needs a dedicated national federation for the sport. In an exchange with Vertige Media, its secretary general, Colonel SP Malik, said the organization was created in March 2022 after the Indian Olympic Association, or IOA, concluded that the IMF could not, in his view, be recognized as the sport federation for climbing. The SCFI says its mission is to “organize, conduct, regulate, promote and develop” sport climbing in India. Its argument is straightforward: since climbing became an Olympic sport, India needs a dedicated body structured across its states and Union Territories.
In a letter dated April 5, 2022, the IOA asked the IMF to notify World Climbing that it would end its international membership “in the national interest.” The Olympic committee wrote that the IMF “is not a federation,” but a foundation organized by geographic zones. More importantly, it said support from the IOA, the Sports Authority of India, and India’s Ministry of Sports “cannot be provided to climbers” without a recognized national federation for climbing. Later, the IOA followed up in even stronger terms, saying “Indian climbers are suffering and are being deprived of their dues.” It asked the IMF to “surrender its membership of the IFSC” so that the SCFI could become a member of the international body.
The SCFI submitted its application in March 2022. World Climbing responded with one condition: it needed a termination letter from the IMF, because its statutes do not allow two members from the same country. That remains the central blockage. Contacted by Vertige Media, the IMF said the 2022 matter had been “filed and closed” after an “appropriate response” to the IOA. The SCFI disputes that version. SP Malik called it “false” and said the IMF should provide evidence of such an agreement. The IOA did not respond to multiple requests from Vertige Media before publication.
The institutional dispute does not appear to be over. Three orders from the Delhi High Court reviewed by Vertige Media show that the SCFI has taken the matter to court, in a case registered as W.P.(C) 19546/2025. As of April 16, 2026, the case was still pending, with the next hearing scheduled for September 21, 2026.
Internationally, however, World Climbing continues to recognize the IMF. The organization confirmed to Vertige Media that it is “aware of another Indian organization seeking to be recognized,” but said the IMF, “as one of the founding members of World Climbing, is the current member representing climbing in India.” As for any emergency measures, World Climbing said, “At this stage, no provisional measures have been discussed.”
On Their Own Dime
For athletes, the fight shows up in very practical ways: limited resources, tight deadlines, constant uncertainty, and heavy dependence on administrators. In response to criticism, the IMF says “all participation in international events is based on the national ranking system published on the website.” The SCFI rejects that view and points instead to the absence of a dedicated national federation for the discipline.
The case of Anil*, an Indian paraclimber, illustrates how the system can stall in real time. Hoping to compete in the World Climbing Para Series in Laval, France, scheduled for late August 2026, he contacted officials on May 22: “I just checked, registrations for the Para Series in Laval, France, are open. Can you recommend my registration?” What followed was a string of follow-ups as the deadline approached. On May 28, he wrote: “I am following up regarding the registration process [...]. Do you have any updates?” The reply from administration: “We will get back to you as soon as possible.” On June 4, Anil* pressed again: “Please keep me informed as soon as possible. I also need to apply for a visa.” On June 6, he pointed out the rule: “The registration deadline is 42 days before the first day of competition, July 17 at 23:59 UTC+0.” On June 19, the answer was still vague: “We will inform you shortly.” By June 23, the wait had become a financial and logistical problem: “I need to book tickets, get a visa, and manage finances once it is confirmed. There will not be enough time if it is confirmed too late.” The exchange shows how vulnerable an athlete can be when major expenses depend on administrative approval.
“Nila* became terribly sick because of the heat, as did all the other athletes with her. She had a severe wheezing attack and had to be taken to the hospital”
Mother of a climber
Other documents sent to Vertige Media point to recurring problems. One mother complained that a finals schedule had been changed “one day before the competition,” even though “most parents had booked flights for the evening.” Her question went unanswered: “Given the cost of the tickets, who is going to reimburse them for this last-minute change?” In the same exchange, she described an event held in extreme heat: “Nila* became terribly sick because of the heat, as did all the other athletes with her. She had a severe wheezing attack and had to be taken to the hospital.” Another message criticized the cost of mandatory gear: “The athletes represent the nation and are charged exorbitant amounts for poor-quality uniforms at Asian and international competitions. And they have the mandatory IMF logo. The least that could be done is to provide the uniforms.”
The financial side remains sensitive as well. One email reviewed by Vertige Media describes unpaid prize money after the 29th National Sport Climbing Championship, held in Bangalore on December 26, 2025. On July 2, 2026, nearly six months after the podiums, Kian* wrote to IMF officials asking for his prize money and that of his sister Tiya*: “Several winners from the same competition have already received their prize money,” he wrote.
Asked about these cases, the IMF pointed to the rigor of its national ranking system. Its honorary secretary, Keerthi Pais, said athletes have access to zonal secretaries, a dedicated commission, and “a dedicated Sport Climbing manager in IMF who responds to emails.” “No access is denied to any genuine deserving and justified application,” he said, without directly addressing the individual cases raised by Vertige Media.
Low Voices
In a letter to World Climbing’s executive board reviewed by Vertige Media, former international climber Sandeep Maity urged the governing body to suspend the IMF’s exclusive representation or, failing that, grant fair transitional recognition to both organizations. World Climbing rejected that opening. “World Climbing does not intervene in national matters, and its authority is limited to what is provided in the statutes,” the organization said. It added that athlete protection is a priority, but drew a firm line: it intervenes only in cases of direct danger to athletes, “not to resolve the underlying governance dispute itself.”
“When an athlete depends completely on that support, speaking up becomes difficult. Many fear that raising issues will affect the opportunities or facilities they receive in the future”
Deepu Mallesh, Indian speed climber
On the ground, however, the collateral damage is already clear. In his letter, Maity sounded the alarm: “A healthy sports ecosystem cannot thrive when athletes are afraid to speak up.” He added: “Many athletes, coaches and parents are hesitant to raise their concerns publicly, for fear of retaliation, loss of opportunities, exclusion from competitions, or negative consequences for their sporting careers.” The IMF rejects those claims entirely. “India is the world’s largest democracy. There is sufficient freedom for individuals and organizations to express their concerns,” Keerthi Pais said, adding that “the IMF has never restricted anyone’s efforts or voice.”
Still, multiple exchanges with Vertige Media point to a fear of speaking openly. “Many athletes stay silent because speaking up often leads to being treated differently in training camps,” Isha*, an Indian climber, told us. Speed specialist Deepu Mallesh highlighted the financial dependence that makes speaking out costly: “Once you are part of the national team, not every athlete is in the same position. Some have individual sponsors and financial support, while many others depend entirely on the federation or the national team for training camps, competitions, equipment, and travel.” That dependence, he said, changes the calculus: “When an athlete depends completely on that support, speaking up becomes difficult. Many fear that raising issues will affect the opportunities or facilities they receive in the future.”
Indian climbing remains trapped in a fight over competing narratives. World Climbing still recognizes the IMF. The SCFI says India needs a dedicated national federation. The IMF says the matter is closed. The Indian courts have yet to rule on the dispute. In the meantime, for several athletes, the conflict is measured less in statutes than in money spent, answers delayed, and the care with which everyone chooses their words.
*Names marked with an asterisk have been changed.
