A century-old church in France has become a hub for indoor climbers after it was converted into a climbing facility in 2022.
Located in Paris, the former church was rebuilt by Climbing District, a training spot for climbing and exercising. The church-converted climbing gym has offered climbers unique experience in a rather unusual venue as popularity for rock climbing is growing.
"We are standing in an old chapel that dates back to the middle of the 19th century which was converted into a climbing wall in November 2022. So we went through seven months of works here, and today, we've got a wall of 13 meters' high. We welcome roughly 300 people every day," said Antoine, co-founder of the Climbing District. Debuting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, sport climbing is relatively new to the Olympics, yet it has become a favorite activity for millions around the world. There are two disciplines in Paris, namely speed-climbing up walls and a combined event of wall-climbing plus bouldering, which is performed on lower walls without a rope.
"It's a great place to make friends, and friends that have the same passion as you. So that's just awesome," said Kelly, a climber.
Starting to learn sport climbing about a year ago, Kelly has now become a sport climbing enthusiast.
"Even when I don't climb, I think about it, when I eat, when I sleep," she said, adding "I think about it all the time."
The ongoing 2024 Paris Olympic Games has reignited people's interest in the niche sport of climbing, with the host country also using this opportunity to encourage people to get more active as figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that almost half of women and 30 percent of men are physically inactive.
Church-converted climbing gym gains traction in France
