Adjustments to Continuous National Ranking (CNR)

As a result of the ongoing and changing world of covid-19, CEC has to make adjustments to its Continuous National Ranking (CNR) to ensure the principles of fairness and equity. We wish to communicate these adjustments clearly to all athletes impacted by the changes. Please note that additional adjustments may be possible pending on the evolution of the pandemic going into the fall and winter.

The selection for the remaining 2021 IFSC events will be conducted using the current CNR. The below adjustments will come in effect on November 1, 2021, in conjunction with the preparation for the 2022 High Performance Season.

Adjustments

• A reset of current points will be completed on November 1st, 2021 after the conclusion of the 2021 IFSC Season. All athlete points earned prior to January 1st, 2021 will be removed from the CNR beginning November 1st, 2021.

• Only the following 2021 and 2022 events will be eligible for CNR points prior to the 2022 High Performance Program first intake:
  1. 2020 Tokyo Olympic Summer Games – August 3rd – 6th, 2021
  2. North American Cup Series (NACS) events as follow:
     1. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Bouldering, Lead, Speed – August 25th – 29th, 2021
     2. Bridgeport, PA: Lead, Speed – September 17th – 19th, 2021
     3. Richmond, British Columbia: Lead, Speed – October 8th – 10th, 2021
     4. Kanata, Ontario: Bouldering – October 23rd – 24th, 2021
     5. * only 1 NACS per discipline in each calendar year is eligible.
  3. CEC National Series
     1. Senior National Championship (boulder) – November 27-28, 2021
     2. Senior National Championship (lead/speed) – February 19-21, 2022

• The introduction of a size of field calculation for NACS events.

• Some changes are scheduled for the 2022 High Performance Program (HPP) selection. The first HPP Intake will take place late March 2022, following a High Performance Competition, which will be scheduled early March 2022.

Contingencies

In the event that the USA/ Canada border is closed at the time of the Canadian NACS stops (Kanata and/or Richmond), these events will be assigned National Championship points, rather than Continental points, for CNR purposes.

With the evolution of the pandemic, and possible fourth waves, the above information and events eligible for points may be subject to change. CEC reserves to right, as it sees fit, to adjust the CNR to ensure its principles.

Rationale

Reset of CNR points:

• It has been 16 months since full Canadian field events were held and much longer since the last International events. The results from these events may not be relevant to current athlete ability. A reset will allow all athletes to start on more level ground.

Removal of 2021 IFSC Events from CNR:

• One of the principles of the CNR is fair and equitable access to scoring events for athletes. The continuous national ranking structure was created with a vision that included full unrestricted access to World Cups for Canadian teams.
• Government travel restrictions and COVID risk has made this impossible in 2021. CEC has followed guidelines from Own The Podium (OTP) in assessing risks involved with attending international competitions. This assessment process has been conducted for all 2021-2022 events listed above, and at this point in time, CEC considers that Canadian athletes have equal access to these events. Do note that this may change with the evolution of the pandemic.
• Although some Canadians have competed, there has not been equal access for all.
• That being said, there has been no opportunity for athletes outside the current HPP to earn points. To give points for the remaining 2021 World Cups and World Championships would create an internal loop in which only athletes who are in top 5 positions will be able to access the highest value events in 2021.
• Additionally, the current CNR positions are based on events that are 16 months or older. The pandemic has restricted or changed training for many athletes over the past year, consequently, it is difficult to assess whether athletes have maintained their pre-pandemic form.

Introduction of Size of Field Calculation for NACS events:

• Points for each level of event within the CNR were created before the pandemic and based on the anticipation of very large NACS fields.
• The pandemic has had an impact on athlete attendance at competitions and registrations are down. A size of field calculations will ensure that points awarded for NACS events are commensurate with the difficulty in achieving them.

Re-scheduling of first HPP intake to after High Performance Competition(s):

• This provision is to ensure that all 2022 Open eligible athletes have the opportunity to participate in at least 2 CNR scoring events
• Invitations based on the High Performance Program Guidelines

We are excited to offer these opportunities for athletes to work towards their selection into the High Performance Program and Youth National Team.

Please direct any questions or feedback to Andrew Wilson – High Performance Director: [email protected]