Hull venue scaling the heights at Olympics

Rockcity's Mark English is delighted a Hull firm has been chosen to play a part in the Olympics

A Hull climbing centre has been selected to provide the holds for walls at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Rockcity will provide a total of 600 holds for the Games, which run from 26 July - 11 August.

It also provided the holds for 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, when competition climbing made its debut.

Bosses also announced they planned to expand with a new climbing hold manufacturing factory in the city.

Climbing holds at Rockcity similar to those being used in the Paris Olympic Games.

Managing director Mark English, who founded Rockcity in 1994, said: “It’s fantastic that a small business in Hull has the expertise to be able to influence the Olympic Games.

“It’s such a high-profile event to be a part of, and it’s brilliant for our profile.

“We’ve developed as a business over time, and we’ve always been interested in the design of the climbing holds."

Mr English said the holds are made from polyurethane, which "enables you to have incredible detail and thin holds that would break if they were made from different material.

“They’re excellent for competition climbing because they allow the route setters to make changes to the climbs that really force movement."

Mr English said climbing is "one of the very few sports where the field of play is deliberately changed".

"It’s manipulated to confuse the participants," he said. "That’s why these holds are so important.”

'All-round exercise'

Rockcity currently has climbers from the age of just two up to 80, and Mr English said it has grown in popularity as people have come to appreciate the health benefits.

“You’re using your own body weight as resistance, and it’s a really good all-round exercise regime," he said.

Rockcity, with support from Hull City Council, is now applying for £120,000 from the Growing Places Fund towards the development of a new factory.

It is hoped the facility will be operational in six months.

Mr English said: “We’ve proven there’s demand and we’ve built a brand. We have international sales and marketing, now we want to bring the manufacturing under our own control, in our home city."

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, the council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and housing, said: “Rockcity is a true Hull success story and it’s great to see a company the council has supported over the years playing a key role in the Paris Olympic Games.

“The company’s plans to expand with a new manufacturing facility in the city, creating local jobs, are also very exciting."

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