Craze for sport climbing is increasing steadily in the steel city with the number of trainees at the cradle run by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) witnessing an upward climb.

Over 40 trainees are honing their skills at the training centre at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur. There were 30 trainees before Covid struck but it has increased after the cradle reopened nearly a month back after being non-operational for months due to the global pandemic.

"Craze for sport climbing is on the rise in Jamshedpur. Though trainees in the young age group (7-15) form the core of the group but off late even those in above-25 age section have started training at the cradle," said TSAF's sport climbing coach Bibhas Roy.

Roy, who hails from Calcutta and is with the cradle for some years now, said people are becoming aware about sport climbing. "I think inclusion of sport climbing as a discipline in the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan has done a world of good for this exciting game which is all about strength and endurance. It has made people aware of the game, which is a positive sign to say the least. Earlier, people related climbing to mountains," he explained.

The premier Jamshedpur-based adventure outfit boasts of the only sport climbing facility in Jharkhand. The cradle has three separate artificial walls for speed bouldering and lead.

Speed climbing pits two climbers against each other, both climbing a route on a 15m wall. In bouldering, athletes scale a number of fixed routes on a wall in a specified time. In lead climbing, one climber has to take the lead while the other climbers follow.

TSAF has also approached some schools to generate interest among students towards sport climbing. "Some schools have been approached. This will have a positive bearing on the number of trainees at the cradle," an official said on condition of anonymity.

TSAF also utilised Covid times by continuing training virtually. Wooden boards called ‘monkey boards’ measuring 2x2 ft had been handed over to the children and fixed at their respective homes. The objective behind the online training was to keep the children connected to sport climbing.

The adventure outfit also has ambitious plans to set up an academy (for sport climbing) on the lines of Tata football and archery cradles.

It has produced three international climbers namely siblings Anisha and Aman Verma and Talim Ansari. Moreover, trainees have claimed medals in state, zonal and national competitions.