Marco Scolaris: “I’m a Pioneer, Not a Settler”

Forty years after the first international climbing competition in Bardonecchia, Marco Scolaris is serving his final term as president of World Climbing. Days before a vote on whether to suspend the Russian, Belarusian, and Israeli federations, he reflects on four decades spent building the sport—and on its uneasy relationship with politics. An extended interview from Chamonix.

Marco Scolaris in Chamonix on July 12, 2026 © Louis Lepron for Vertige Media

Vertige Media : In 1985, you were in Bardonecchia for the first international climbing competition. At the time, the climbing community was far from convinced.

Marco Scolaris : People said climbing was supposed to be free. Wearing a competition bib was shocking. But in Turin, where I lived, most of us were saying: Be careful. If someone from outside the climbing world comes in and starts putting on successful events, climbers will be pushed aside. So we got involved. And little by little, we watched it grow.

Vertige Media : That growth eventually created friction with traditional mountaineering, represented by the UIAA, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.

Marco Scolaris : Constantly. The mountaineers wanted to control climbing. They thought the growth of climbing would put mountaineering at risk. There was a lot of drama and endless debate. Eventually, they asked us to leave. That was in 2006. We left, and in 2007 we founded the IFSC, the International Federation of Sport Climbing.

“In 2007, I was a mountain photographer. International sports politics was a completely different world. When I found myself standing in front of IOC members in suits, well…”

Vertige Media : At the very first founding general assembly, you raised the question of the Olympic Games. Did you really believe it could happen?

Marco Scolaris : I asked everyone, “Do you want us to formally express our interest in the Olympics?” The vote was unanimous: yes. Then I asked another question: “Do you know what that means?” Again, everyone said yes. But the truth was, nobody knew. I certainly didn’t. In 2007, I was a mountain photographer. International sports politics was a completely different world. When I found myself standing in front of IOC members in suits, well… But we went for it. Later, someone asked me how long it would take. I said, given the circumstances, 20 years. And if you look at what happened, that’s basically how long it took.

Vertige Media : So how does a sport get into the Olympics?

Marco Scolaris : You have to build the sport, the competition circuit, media attention, and participation. If you want to enter the Olympics with a sport practiced in only 10 countries, that isn’t credible. You need a minimum number of national federations and a minimum level of participation, and you have to show that the sport is growing. By the end of the 2010s, all those pieces were in place for climbing.

Vertige Media : How did IOC officials react to your proposal?

Marco Scolaris : They came to watch competitions, and they were amazed. “The French climber is giving the Italian climber advice?” Yes. “And tomorrow the Italian will give the French climber advice?” Yes. They all told me, “Once you have a lot of money and television rights, that will change.” I don’t think it has. So we worked together to bring climbing into the Olympics while preserving the spirit of the sport and trying to offer a different model. You can’t change soccer today. But if you show that another model exists and can succeed, then little by little, you can have an influence.

“At a time when private sponsorship money is becoming harder to find, things are tight. We’re trying to survive”

Vertige Media : You still had to make compromises. In Tokyo, climbing’s Olympic debut used a combined format: speed, bouldering, and lead, the roped discipline. Did that feel like a sacrifice?

Marco Scolaris : It was a bargaining chip. We can say that now. When the door opened for Tokyo, the IOC told us: You get 40 athletes, 20 women and 20 men, and one medal event. They suggested the combined format. It was a compromise. On our side, we thought it was either that or nothing. At least putting all three disciplines on display would introduce them to the entire world and give us a chance to secure more medals later. Paris would have two medal events. Los Angeles would have three. That was already the long-term plan. But at the time, we did a poor job explaining it to the athletes. The burden on them was too high.

Vertige Media : What do you mean?

Marco Scolaris : Speed climbing… Our climbing community didn’t understand it right away. It was new, and it came on a little suddenly. But the IOC especially liked speed because they could explain it to anyone in two minutes: “It’s the 100-meter dash, only vertical. They do it in five seconds.”

Marco Scolaris, returning from a short jog. © Louis Lepron for Vertige Media

Vertige Media : Is climbing’s place in the Olympics secure today?

Marco Scolaris : No. Nothing is settled for Brisbane in 2032. The IOC presidency changed last year when Kirsty Coventry took over. More importantly, there is a new sports director, Pierre Ducrey of Switzerland. When he arrived, he didn’t have the historical background. We went through a difficult period when there was a risk that climbing could be downgraded to an additional sport. That would have major financial consequences for us. Things are better now. But we’re watching the situation very closely.

Vertige Media : Speaking of finances, where does the federation stand today?

Marco Scolaris : We started from very little. In 2007, our annual budget was €170,000. We peaked at €6 million around the Paris Olympics, and today we operate on €4 million to €5 million a year. That isn’t enough to do everything we want to do. At a time when private sponsorship money is becoming harder to find, things are tight. We’re trying to survive.

Vertige Media : How?

Marco Scolaris : We have to hold on until Los Angeles, when we’ll receive Olympic television-rights revenue. After that, things should improve. We have potential sources of revenue, including ticket sales, but we have to be transparent so people understand where their money goes. Sports governing bodies are constantly under attack today—look at Infantino and FIFA. The situations aren’t comparable. The money has never gone into my pocket. But the public image of sports leaders has been badly damaged.

Vertige Media : This is your fifth and final term. The exemption from term limits drew criticism. How did that happen?

Marco Scolaris : From the beginning, I said I would stop at 70. I’m 68. I also said it would take 20 years to reach the Olympics, and after that, my work would be done. So yes, there is this broader issue of term limits in international sports governance. Some federations introduced them retroactively, which meant every member of the board would suddenly have to leave at the same time. I was asked to stay. The part of the story I have never told is that I went to the IOC president at the time, Thomas Bach, and asked him directly. He told me, “Marco, I think you should stay through Los Angeles because the organization needs to be consolidated.” For the sake of transparency, we put the question to the general assembly in Singapore two years before the election. More than two-thirds of the member federations voted yes. Then, in the 2025 election, I ran again. I had an opponent. I won.

Vertige Media : So this will definitely be your last term?

Marco Scolaris : Absolutely. I’m a pioneer, not a settler. My role was to open the way. Once the organization is stable, you need someone who can build programs and present climbing in a different way. I’m also a little tired. [He smiles softly.] I can feel that my journey is nearing its end.

Marco Scolaris, in Chamonix © Louis Lepron for Vertige Media

Vertige Media : Earlier today—this interview was conducted on Friday, July 10—a pro-Palestinian demonstration took place here in Chamonix before the competition, a first for the city. What did you make of it?

Marco Scolaris [smiling]: I read your article on the bus this morning, about the July 23 vote on suspending the Russian, Belarusian, and Israeli federations. In substance, I think 70 to 80 percent of it is correct. But there are two or three important inaccuracies. The first concerns the nature of the upcoming vote. The vote must remain a recommendation. Under World Climbing’s statutes, the authority to suspend a federation belongs to the executive board.

If the general assembly makes a decision it has no authority to make, the suspended federation will sue, and it will win. Then it’s over.

“Because sport should not take sides in political conflicts. If the sports world decides that one country is the aggressor and that its athletes must be removed, then we have to assess every conflict in the world. It is a moral and philosophical question, but also a tragically practical one”

Vertige Media : What do you mean?

Marco Scolaris : This is an invitation to everyone—the press, activists—to do things correctly. If the goal is to reach a suspension decision, you have to take the right path and follow the proper procedure.

Vertige Media : The real question is this: If more than 50 percent of the federations recommend suspension, will the World Climbing board follow that recommendation?

Marco Scolaris : Yes. I can say that here and now. Absolutely. There are 12 of us on the board, so I can’t promise it with 100 percent certainty. But we asked the question because we intend to listen to the federations. So if the result is 50.5 percent, we will follow it.

Vertige Media : Why did it take so long to respond to allegations that cliffs and climbing areas had been seized by Israelis from Palestinians?

Marco Scolaris : We have to be honest and transparent. Our official counterparts are the national federations, not individuals or associations. And we did respond. Maybe they didn’t like the answer, but we responded. The original document we received did not give us a legal basis to act. It discussed the actions of the Israeli government, not the Israeli climbing federation, the ICLA. It is not the role of an international federation to determine whether a cliff was seized by a government. Our legal adviser is very clear about that. But yesterday—July 9, 2026—we received new documents from the Palestinian federation that describe the actions of the Israeli federation itself in greater detail. The earlier documents did not provide a legal basis for action under our statutes. These new documents might.

Vertige Media : On Russia and Belarus, you said suspending them was “a stupid decision.” Why?

Marco Scolaris : Because sport should not take sides in political conflicts. If the sports world decides that one country is the aggressor and that its athletes must be removed, then we have to assess every conflict in the world. It is a moral and philosophical question, but also a tragically practical one. And we are grouping together situations that are completely different. Russia and Israel do not involve the same issues.

Vertige Media : Have you discussed this with the IOC?

Marco Scolaris : I told President Coventry it was a mistake. She wasn’t the one who made the decision at the time. Thomas Bach was president. But it was a mistake, and we entered a vicious cycle. Emotions were running high. It was two weeks after the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC recommended exclusion, and we followed that recommendation. But something that takes five minutes to decide can take five years to undo. And we still haven’t undone it.

“I’m saying there is unequal treatment. This year, there were strikes against Iran. What happened? Nothing. There was no response from the Olympic movement. When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, it became a global crisis for sports. That double standard is real”

Vertige Media : But is it really possible for sport to remain neutral? Isn’t that naïve?

Marco Scolaris : It’s extremely naïve. I know that. There is political pressure from governments, but there is also the moral question. We all see the photographs and the videos on television. Not only from Israel—from Ukraine, Congo… You want to respond. But once you take a position, everything becomes a mess. You no longer know where you’re going. And you end up powerless—and not especially consistent, either, because you eventually ignore some people while protecting others. I was at the general assembly of the International Paralympic Committee, sitting next to the president of the South Sudan Paralympic Committee. He told me, “We are forgotten. Nobody sees us.” Maybe because they don’t have oil? It’s complicated.

Vertige Media : Are you criticizing a double standard?

Marco Scolaris : I’m saying there is unequal treatment. This year, there were strikes against Iran. What happened? Nothing. There was no response from the Olympic movement. When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, it became a global crisis for sports. That double standard is real. And we try to follow governments—but which governments? The 40 European countries sometimes think they represent the entire world. More than 100 other countries see things differently.

"Sanctioning someone is a form of war. Not with weapons, not with a rifle—but it is still war"

Vertige Media : So what can the “Olympic movement” actually do?

Marco Scolaris : It can try to remain a place where the countries of the world can come together peacefully. Athletes are the next generation of leaders. If we prevent them from meeting, talking, and competing against one another… This year, as far as I know, the Russian and Ukrainian climbers never crossed paths in competition, and the other athletes welcomed them without any problems. That matters. That’s why I say: Be careful with sanctions. Sanctioning someone is a form of war. Not with weapons, not with a rifle—but it is still war. You end up repeating the same pattern. That was the fundamental mistake we made in 2022.

Vertige Media : As you approach the end of your final term, how do you see the state of the world?

Marco Scolaris : I am a little disappointed, yes. The problems between Israel and Palestine have existed for 78 years. Israel cannot be the only one blamed. It is a collective responsibility. Some of the images are shocking. How can you remain indifferent when you see children watching a World Cup soccer game from the ruins of their home in Gaza? I have lost some of my faith. But still… [He pauses.] As a climber, you never lose faith. When we presented climbing to the IOC board in St. Petersburg and I realized we had missed our chance, a journalist asked me, “What will you do if you are selected?” I said, “We’ll climb.” “And if you aren’t selected?” We’ll climb. That is climbing. It is our sport, but it is also our way of life.