Ratho climbing arena on the up with sports funding award
Funding has been awarded to Edinburgh International Climbing Arena to secure its future as a world-class sporting facility.
The site in Ratho is one of 18 community projects across the country to share a total of £1.5 million from Sportscotland to develop existing centres or create new spaces for sport and physical activity.
The EICA’s award of £100,000 will be used to redevelop its bouldering facilities, making it the only climbing centre in the UK with Olympic standard facilities for all three climbing disciplines – lead climbing, speed climbing and bouldering.
This investment from the Sports Facilities Fund has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30m each week for good causes across the UK.
Chief Executive of Sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, said: “Projects like this one at the EICA not only create opportunities for people to take part in sport and physical activity but can also provide a place for communities to come together.”
Welcoming the investment, Emma Ogilvie-Hall, head of operations at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “We’re delighted to receive the Sportscotland funding that means we can replace our outdated bouldering facilities at the EICA.
“With indoor bouldering now the most widely practised form of climbing, it will ensure that the EICA can continue as a world class venue for all three climbing disciplines – lead, speed, and bouldering – while continuing to provide climbers of all ages and abilities with access to opportunities to participate in and progress through the sport.”