Youth National Team Program

Welcome to the CEC Youth National Team Page!

This page is your home base for everything Youth National Team Program. We will be providing you with updated information about team structure, events and preparations leading up to and during Youth World Championships and beyond. For now, if you have any questions, please email Regan at regan@bolderclimbing.com

Under the leadership and direction of the High Performance Director, the CEC is adopting a new strategic plan for the Youth National Team Program. This plan includes consistency in the coaching, intentional roles for coaches and  committee work within the coaching team aimed to better prepare and support athletes for nationals and international events. 

2026-2028 Coaching Team

Coaches for he upcoming season will be announced shortly.

Coaches Mission

The YWCh coaches strive to establish a culture of trust and belonging among all athletes and equip them to succeed at YWCH and beyond by:

  • Enabling all athletes to have a safe and positive experience at national events, international events and team preparatory camps.
  • Supporting athletes from all provinces in their preparation for competition.
  • Continuing to develop a team culture based on trust and a sense of belonging

What you can expect from your National Coaching Team and the CEC National Youth Program:

May 2026 

  • CEC Youth Program Town Hall – Friday May 8th 4pm PDT
    • Open to all youth Canadian climbers, parents, coaches 
    • The coaching team will be sharing info about Youth World Championships in Arco, the performance team training camp in Innsbruck and the domestic training camp in September. 
      • Meeting date Friday May 8th 2026 at 4pm PDT 
      • CEC Youth Team  is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
      • Topic: CEC Youth Program Town Hall May 8th 2026 
      • Time: May 8, 2026 05:00 PM Calgary
      • Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85826369089

Meeting ID: 858 2636 9089

  • CEC Youth Nationals: Bouldering and Lead – May 14th – 19th 2026
  • This is the selection event for youth world championships, performance team and development team 
  • Nationals participation is by invitation only by PTSO or CEC 
  • CEC Youth Speed Athlete minimum climbing times due May 19th 2026
    • For those speed athletes who have not yet met the minimum required speed time for your age category – you have until May 19th 2026 to submit your qualifying time / video to Kraig Delvin at kraig@climbingcanada.ca 
    • After that time, the next athlete in line will be offered a spot. 

July 2026

  • Performance / High Performance Team Training Camp – Innsbruck Austria July 4th – 13th 2026 
      • International training camp in Innsbruck, Austria July 4-13th 
        • Home base from Innsbruck with day trips to Munich and Brixen
      • Preparatory support for athletes selected to Youth World Championships and development for performance athletes 
      • Estimated cost for the training camp $550 per athlete not including travel / accommodation / food (more info at the May 8th town hall).
      • Invitations will be sent by May 23rd 2026 – athletes will need to respond as soon as possible to accept their spot 
        • The coaching team will open then training camp up to Junior athletes and athletes beyond top 6 is there is space 
  • Youth World Championships- Arco, Italy July 18th – 25th 2026
    • This summer, World Climbing is hosting the 2026 Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy, from July 18th through July 25th. An info sheet has been released by World Climbing here. The schedule can be summarized as:
    • July 18th through 20th – Lead
    • July 21st – Speed
    • July 22nd – 25th – Boulder 

Beyond August 2026:

  1. Domestic training camp for tier 1, 2 and 3 athletes.
    • September 4th – 7th 2026 
    • Location: Richmond Oval 
    • Boulder, Lead and Speed disciplines 
    • Open to tier 1, 2, 3 athletes (U17, 19 and 21) 
      • Club coaches may attend for professional development on a volunteer basis 
    • There will be a cost associated with this camp in the range of $350 per attendee  
    • We will do our best to make this camp affordable to travelling athletes via accommodation share and a billet system
  1. National coaching team support for tier 1 athletes throughout the domestic competition season 
    • Includes domestic training camps, data tracking and analysis; all in collaboration with club coaches 
  1. Creating professional development opportunities for club coaches and setters 

Who is the part of the National Team?

The CEC Youth National Team consists of three tiers:

Tier #3 – The Domestic Team

  • These are athletes in U17 (Youth B), U19 (Youth A) and U21 (Junior) who finish in the top 12 (with combined ranking) of any discipline (boulder, lead or speed) after CEC Nationals
  • These athletes will be invited to attend domestic training camps pre and post season 

Tier #2 – The Performance Team

  • These are athletes in U17 (Youth B), U19 (Youth A) and U21 (Junior) who finish in the top 6 of any discipline (boulder, lead or speed) after CEC Nationals 
  • These athletes will be invited to attend domestic training camps pre and post season 
  • These athletes will be invited to both international and domestic training camps

Tier #1 – The High Performance Team 

  • These are athletes in U17 (Youth B) and U19 (Youth A) who are selected to Youth World Championships after CEC Nationals (see selection criteria here) 
  • These athletes will be invited to attend domestic training camps pre-and post season 
  • These athletes will be invited to international training camps 
  • These athletes will be supported throughout the year by their discipline specific head coach in collaboration with their club coaches 

2026 Youth National Team – Selection Process

As per the CEC Youth National Team selection policy, the CEC Youth National Team for speed, boulder and lead will be selected at the speed youth nationals, boulder youth nationals and lead youth nationals, respectively. Athletes in positions 4 to 6 will be offered an alternate position.

Timeline of Invitations:

  • Invitation emails will be sent by May 21st 2026
  • Alternates (4-6 placed athletes) will also receive an email on May 21st confirming their alternate position
  • To accept the invitation on the team, athletes will be required to complete the following by May 26th:
    • Fill out an Intake Form
    • Pay the Team Fee Deposit of $800 (specifically for Arco) 
    • Complete uniform order form by May 28th (uniform turn around will be very tight – Upon acceptance of your spot to youth worlds you will be given a QR code to order your uniform that includes a $50 discount – it’s your responsibility to order your uniform in time / by May 28th). 
    • Completion of other Team Requirements, such as Safe Sport and Anti-Doping Training, will be mandatory to confirm position on the team
  • To decline the invitation on the team, please reply to the invitation email promptly upon reception

Youth World Championships Arco:

Arrivals and Departures

Please note, the CEC policy is for athletes to arrive in Arco 5 days prior to their event. Please see Schedule A below for those athletes attending only the YWCh and  Schedule B  for those attending the European staging camp below for a visual. 

COMING SOON

Athlete Preparation and Support

The National Team Coaches will be arriving in Arco on July 13th. Athletes will be required to travel to Arco as follows:

  1. with their parent/guardian; or 
  2. with a parent-approved chaperone; or 
  3. with another athlete’s family.
  4. As this is a Youth Program, we do not recommend that athletes travel alone. However, if parents consent to individual travel, a letter to CEC will be required. 

During any group activity, practice or during the event itself, the athletes will be under the supervision of the National Team Coaches. 

Opportunities to train boulder, lead and speed will be organized along with team activities and dinners in Arco in the days leading up to all events. 

Unfortunately, a speed wall may not be available for training in Arco, or there may only be limited access provided. Speed athletes may have to travel to train on a speed wall; details are still in progress and will be discussed with the speed team directly. 

Coach and Parental Involvement

We welcome parent and personal coach involvement. 

Parents can be involved in two ways: 

  1. If parents would like to help organize team dinners or group activities, that would be greatly appreciated. 
  2. If parents would like to become CEC certified chaperones (details for certification below) they could support National Team Coaches during training/staging. To know more about the requirements, please email kraig@climbingcanada.ca 

If a personal coach is planning on attending the YWC, they must inform the Head Coach (Regan Kennedy). CEC will not be able to provide an accreditation for the event. Athletes are under the care of the CEC coaches, and may not leave the competition with their personal coach, unless previously approved by the Head Coach and the CEC.

Finances

CEC will be covering the cost of the IFSC License and Registration. Unlike previous years, CEC will not coordinate booking the Team accommodation in Arco.Each athlete / family will be responsible for booking their own accommodation. Please keep in mind there will be mandatory nightly team meetings in proximity to the coaches hotel (listed below). Please do not book accommodation that creates a barrier to attend these meetings. 

CEC Coaching Team is booked at the Bellavita  Lake Garda Apartments. We will be holding nightly team meetings in the vicinity of this hotel, so please book accordingly. 

https://www.gardatrentino.it/en/where-to-stay/bellavita-lake-garda-apartments_64763

Fees will be invoiced/paid as follows (projected deposit for Arco above):

Expenses Method
Coaches’ Expense (flight, accommodation, ground transportation, per diem) Included in Team Fees
Athlete Flight Booked and paid for by  athletes individually
Athlete Accommodation To be booked and paid for by athlete individually
Athlete On-Site Expenses (food, transportation, souvenirs, etc.) Paid for by athlete individually
Group Expenses (training sessions, tourism activities, etc.) Paid by coaches and invoiced to athletes

 

To help manage Financial Expectations, here is the AVERAGE cost of the past 3 editions, excluding onsite expenses such as meals and ground travel:

Helsinki 2025 

 

Average Deposit

  

$ 650.00
Average Accommodation $ 2000.00
Average Final CEC Invoice $ 75.00
Flight – average $ 2000.00
Total per athlete $ 4725.00
China 2024

 

Average Deposit

  

$ 434.38
Average Accommodation $ 556.12
Average Final CEC Invoice $ 399.08
Flight – average $ 3839.76
Total per athlete $ 5229.34
Seoul 2023

 

Average Deposit

  

$ 357.75
Average Accommodation $1172.34
Average Final CEC Invoice $ 49.32
Flight – average $ 3077.54
Total per athlete $ 5657.95

Entry Visa and Passport Requirements

Upon arrival to one of the Schengen EU countries, Canadian travelers will need to register in the entry/exit exit system which is a series of biometrics. https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/travelling-europe#entry-exit Travellers will need to complete this upon landing in Europe, to plan accordingly (it can take several hours to complete). 

 

Competition Venue

All disciplines will be held at Arco Climbing Stadium

Via Paolina Caproni Maini 26, 38062 Arco, Italy

Google Maps: https://share.google/KAVWrpOrLyRjuztht

 

 

Acclimatization

A generally accepted rule of thumb is that our bodies require one day per time zone to adjust to new time zones. As such, we require athletes to be on the ground at least five days before the start of their discipline. CEC is researching training facilities and will work to plan activities to help with acclimatization. 

 

IFSC Athlete Licenses

Participation in this event requires a World Climbing athlete license. CEC applies for these licenses on behalf of each athlete and coach. The process requires athletes to confirm the license via email. An automatically generated email prompting you to confirm your World Climbing license will come from noreply@results.info. If you have any problems confirming your license, contact Kraig Devlin at kraig@climbingcanada.ca. CEC pays the cost of this license.

 

Uniforms

Each athlete will be required to purchase a uniform kit. In this kit they will need to purchase a jersey (tank and or tee shirt),  pants and a long sleeved shirt. The athletes will have to provide their own black non-branded shorts. The CEC along with BE climbing is supporting athletes with a $50 credit for their uniform. We expect the total cost to be $100 after the $50 has been applied to your order. There will be a short window for ordering and it is essential that your order is placed on time. Parent / family swag will also be available for purchase on the store. Once athletes accept their spot they will be sent a link for ordering. All youth and senior Canadian athletes are required to wear the World CLimbing approved uniform while competing. 

Athletes are required to:

  • wear the designated competition tops (T-shirt or tank top) and bottoms (shorts or tights) during competition
  • wear team jacket / long sleeve during designated team activities (i.e. opening or closing ceremonies, on podium, official team photos, and other designated times), as communicated by CEC Staff.

Athletes may trade uniforms AFTER they are finished competing however please be aware that uniform ordering windows are limited each year and only approved uniforms may be worn at World Climbing and Pan Am Council competitions. 

 

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