Ice Climbing World Cup 2009 ends on high note

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The first event of the Ice Climbing World Cup took place in Val Daone, Italy from January 16-18, followed by the World Championships in Saas Fee, Switzerland. The next cup stage was held on January 31 in Mojstrana, Slovenia.

In addition to the World Cup event in Busteni, Romania, fans were able to view the second Ice Climbing world record speed competition.

The UIAA recognises Ice Climbing as a competitive sport and is responsible for the organisation and promotion of the Ice Climbing World Cup and International Championships.

The president of the UIAA Ice Climbing Commission, Carlos Teixeira, believes the sport has all the ingredients to become more popular. He says this is due to the "enthusiasm of the athletes and the faith, persistence and commitment of the remaining stakeholders including the event organisers, sponsors, judges and federations".

However, Teixeira thinks there is room for improvement: "I feel the sport is a bit confined to the existing rules and those boundaries should be enlarged for greater creativity. On the other hand rules need to exist as a consistent thread running through the competitions. This is the dilemma facing the Ice Climbing Commission."