How to watch Kranj 2021 Climbing World Cup live streams

Sport climbing's exciting post-Olympics era begins in Kranj, where all eyes are on home favorite Janja Garnbret - fresh from dominating the women's combined event at Tokyo 2020. Read on as we explain how to watch Kranj 2021 and get a FREE Climbing World Cup live stream - no matter where you are in the world.

The men's Olympic champion, Alberto Gines Lopez, is also in action in Slovenia. But with this event focused solely on lead climbing rather than all three disciplines, it will have a very different complexion to what we saw at the Games. In lead climbing, the athletes have six minutes to climb as high as they can on a wall measuring more than 15m in height.

The women's competition looks especially fierce, with both of Garnbret's closest challengers in the lead climbing at Tokyo 2020 set to push her all the way again in Kranj. Austria's Jessica Pilz and South Korea's Chaehyun Seo, the 2019 overall Lead World Cup champion, reached 34+ and 35+ respectively at the Olympics, but Garnbret got that crucial bit further, notching a peerless 37+.

Gines, meanwhile, is looking to fend off Italy's Stefano Ghislofi, USA's Sean Bailey and Sweden’s Hannes Puman, all of whom finished in the overall top 10 in 2019. 

Read follow our guide for all the details you need to find a reliable Kranj 2021 live stream so you can watch all the Climbing World Cup action free online from anywhere.

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How to watch Climbing World Cup: live stream Kranj 2021 FREE of charge

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The IFSC has made it super easy to tune into the Climbing World Cup, with the main action from Kranj set to be live streamed on YouTube (opens in new tab).

You can find the full event schedule at the bottom of this page, but the things to remember are that the semi-finals begin at 9am CEST on Saturday, and the finals get underway at 6pm CEST.

YouTube is, of course, completely free to watch and compatible with pretty much any internet-connected device out there. 

The only places where those YouTube live streams won't be available are in China and in South and Central America.

How to watch Climbing World Cup 2021 from outside your country

YouTube is easily accessible in most countries around the world, but if you're abroad right now in China (where the site is blocked) or in South or Central America (where that free stream isn't available), you likely won't be able to access that free Climbing World Cup coverage like you would at home. The same can be said if you're in an office that blocks YouTube.

This isn't necessarily cause for alarm, but rather the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to certain parts of the world. 

A good VPN can let you get around these digital borders legally, while also offering robust protection from cybercriminals and government snooping, making everyday tasks like online shopping and banking much safer.

Use a VPN to live stream Climbing World Cup 2021 from anywhere

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2021 Climbing World Cup schedule

Friday, September 3

• 8am CEST / 7am BST / 2am ET / 4pm AEST - Women's and Men's Lead qualifiers

Saturday, September 4

• 9am CEST / 8am BST / 3am ET / 5pm AEST - Women's and Men's Lead semi-finals
• 6pm CEST / 5pm BST / 12pm ET / 2am AEST - Women's Lead final
• 7pm CEST / 6pm BST / 1pm ET / 3am AEST - Men's Lead final

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