A poster of the 2018 IFSC Climbing World Cup in Tai'an, Shandong province. [Photo/ifsc-climbing.org]

The second leg of the 2018 IFSC Climbing World Cup series China tour will take place in Tai'an, Shandong province on May 12 to 13, following the first stop in Chongqing on May 5 and 6.

Organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), the event is supported by the Chinese Mountain Association, the Shandong administration of sports and the Tai'an government.

Hailed as the premier climbing competition in the world, the event will gather more than 300 elite Bouldering and Speed climbing athletes to vie for positioning in the season rankings.

In the IFSC World Cup series, athletes compete in three disciplines: lead, bouldering and speed.

For the lead competition, competitors attempt to reach the top of a long, difficult route.

A female competitor takes part in the lead competition of the 2017 IFSC World Cup held in Kranj, Slovenia. [Photo/ifsc-climbing.org]

The bouldering competition consists of climbing without belay ropes on short walls. The competitor's score is determined by the overall number of routes they undertake and the number of attempts needed.

A competitor in the bouldering competition of the 2018 IFSC World Cup held in Chongqing, China. [Photo/ifsc-climbing.org]

Speed is the only factor that counts in the speed climbing event. It is a top roping climb in which competitors climb a slightly overhanging IFSC certified vertical piste with belaying from the top.

Two competitors compete in the speed climbing competition at the 2018 IFSC World Cup held in Chongqing, China. [Photo/ifsc-climbing.org]

The number of IFSC World Cup competitions and venues varies from year to year, which is similar to the FIFA World Cup and the IMG International Tour in tennis. Athletes can choose to participate in which matches they wish at each stage. Points based on the rankings obtained in each match are calculated, and the athlete with the best total score is the World Cup winner that year.

The IFSC Climbing World Cup entered China in 2003, when only one race a year was held. It has since developed to four races each year.

With a reputation as "climbing ballet" and "precipice rhythmic gymnastics", climbing is a skillful and adventurous extreme sport popular all over the world.

Rock climbing was formally included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee in 2016. It was also included in China's 13th National Games for the first time in 2017.