After athletes from around the world displayed their talents in pursuit of medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the sport of climbing gained a prerequisite step on the ladder toward becoming an Olympic sport at future summer games last week when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership officially recognized the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) as the governing body for the sport.

With the roster for the 2016 summer games already set, the next possible year for climbing to be accepted would be 2020, with the selection being decided in 2013.

“It’s cool it’s coming,” said Dave Dornian, chair of Canada’s competition climbing committee (CEC), as he waited to board a plane on Monday to Bali to attend the IFSC’s annual meeting.

“Climbing can be a candidate, perhaps in our lifetimes,” Dornian said. “We’ll have carded athletes on teams just like Nordic skiers and figure skaters.”

Talks are in the latter stages between the CEC and Sport Canada to bring competition climbing, which takes places in indoor climbing gyms, up to speed in terms of competition rules, tests for doping and other constitutional details, Dornian said.

As well, the sport climbing federation is working on the next steps of wooing the IOC to have the sport included in future games.

“There are lots of federations and countries where climbing is big stuff,” Dornian said. “There’s lots of climbers in Bali now. It’s huge across Asia and it’s starting to move into Africa too. Lots of people are working hard to see this happen.”