ISBC 2026 Information Package
General Information
Inter-school Bouldering Championships 2026 is around the corner once
more! We will confirm the schedule of the day after registration closes.
The format, as per last year, is a team-based competition rather than
individual. More like a carnival style, competitors will form teams to
accumulate points. The top 4 teams per division per gender with the
highest accumulated points will be awarded a team trophy at the end
of the competition. Please read the section on ‘Competition Format’ for
more details.
Competition Details
Xinmin Secondary School
Venue
(11 Hougang Avenue 8, Singapore 538789)
Date 20 March 2026 (Friday)
27 Feb 2026, 3pm over Microsoft Teams
Briefing for Join: [Link]
Teachers / Parents 3959299578?p=LtZMLPwcLn3wEWkiTy
/ Guardians Meeting ID: 480 339 592 995 78
Passcode: TK3v9fw6
$18/pax, inclusive of GST (No competition attire will
Registration Fees be given; competitors are expected to compete in
School/Team Jersey.)
Through IFAAS, cash, PayNow or cheque to Xinmin
Payment Secondary School
Registration Close Monday, 16 February 2026
For registration, please contact:
Mr Kevin Lu (lu_wenqi_kevin@[Link])
For other queries, please contact Patrice at patrice@[Link]
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COMPETITION FORMAT & BASIC RULES AND REGULATIONS
Participants must be from one of the following categories:
Category Age Range Open To
C Division 12-14 MOE Schools Only
(born 2 Jan 2012 – 1 Jan 2014)
B Division 15-17 MOE Schools Only
(born 2 Jan 2009 to 1 Jan 2012)
T Division 17 and above • Junior Colleges
(born 1 Jan 2009 or earlier) • Millenia Institute
*note: competitor must be a • Year 5/6 students in
registered student at the schools offering
educational institution Integrated
Programmes (IP)
• Institute of Technical
Education
• Polytechnics
Participants may choose to compete as individual competitors, or participate as a
team. To be considered a team, there has to be a minimum of 5 members of the
same category and gender, up to a maximum of 10 people in one team.
For example, XYZ Secondary School could send the following combination of
competitors: 3 for C Division Girls, 7 for C Division boys, 10 for B division Girls,
and 9 for B Division Boys. The competitors for the C Division Girls will not be
eligible for the team trophy, even if their combined score places higher than
that of the winning teams.
Competitors will compete in details of 10 to 20. The competitors in the detail could
be from different divisions and genders.
There will be one technical briefing at the start of the event. This is the same
technical briefing as the one that will be conducted on 27 February 2026 - no
additional information will be provided, so no participant who does not show up
for the technical briefing will be disadvantaged.
There will be a total of 15 problems up on the wall. Climbers may climb any of the
15 problems during the allotted time.
The allotted time is 19 minutes per detail. 3 whistle-blows will indicate the start
of the detail, 1 whistle-blow will indicate 1 minute left for the current detail, while
2 whistle-blows will indicate the end of the climbing time for the detail.
Number of attempts do not matter - only whether the climber completed the climb
or got the zone. Points will be awarded for each top, with half the points awarded
for zones.
For example, if a climber only achieves a zone on his first attempt on a problem
worth 10 points, he will get 5 points. If in a subsequent attempt he is able to
complete the climb, he will be awarded the full 10 points.
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Start is denoted by Each Tape representing a point of contact required before
4 tapes. commencing any attempts.
Ending denoted by Climbers have to end with 2 hands holding the end hold for 2
1 tape. seconds.
Zone is denoted by Bonus hold has to be held in a controlled manner to be
1 tape. considered as achieved.
To note:
• T-Nut holes cannot be used.
• Only the starting holds of the problem can be held before start of attempt.
• End in a controlled manner by holding the end hold for 2 seconds
TEAM SCORING
The top five scores of every member in the team (min. 5 members, max 10
members) will be added together to form a team score. These five scores could
be from completing the climb, or even from just achieving the zone for a harder
climb.
This cumulative score will then be used to compare against other teams in the
same category. The top 4 teams with the highest scores will then be awarded a
team trophy.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Given this format, the schedule for 20th March will not be broken up according to
divisions as the routes on the wall are the same for all divisions. This in turn means
that a school could have 40 competitors and all of them will be put into two details
and assigned a specific time for reporting and climbing.
Given that 20th March is right before Hari Raya Puasa, please do highlight the
names of students who are Muslim; we will do our best to put these
competitors in the earlier details so that they will be able to prepare for their
festivities in the afternoon.
Results for each team will be tabulated in real time and can be accessed via a
Google Sheet, available at a later time. Schools can choose to wait until the end
for the prize presentation, or come back another day to collect their team trophy.
For example, if XYZ Secondary School has 40 competitors, they can have two
details - the first detail consisting of all C division competitors, and the second
detail consisting of all B Division competitors. They could be asked to report at
9am for registration, then have detail 1’s climbing time as 1000-1020, with detail
2 following next at 1020-1040. Once all the competitors have finished their climb
and submitted their scoresheets, the school is welcome to take their leave. They
will be notified via email if their team has won, and they can send a representative
to come down to Xinmin Secondary School on another day to collect the trophy.
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REGISTRATION
Please complete the registration form (Excel format) and submit it via the FormSG
link below. Please note that competitors from Polytechnics and Institute of
Technical Education will have to complete an indemnity form once their
registration has been confirmed.
Registration Submission: [Link]
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General Inquiries
Is this part of the National School Games (NSG)?
No, it is not. It is an inter-school competition organised by an MOE school for other
students attending MOE schools (including independent schools and government-
aided schools), polytechnics, and institutes of technical education (ITE). There is
no NSG for sport climbing at the secondary school level.
Does the teacher have to submit the registration form? Can there be a
School Adult Representative (SAR) instead?
ISBC is an inter-school competition hosted by an MOE school where the students
are competing as representatives of their schools. As the student is representing
the school, the school must endorse the student’s participation. This endorsement
is done through the submission of the registration form.
In the event that the school wishes to appoint an SAR instead, ISBC will follow the
latest guidelines from PSOEB regarding the appointment of SARs. This includes:
1. Allowing a maximum of one SAR to five competitors. If MOE schools are
sending more than 5 competitors, there must be a teacher accompanying
2. Having Family Chaperones (FC) for the other competitors during
competition day on 20th March
For full details, please refer to the guidelines at:
[Link]
The school will have to indicate the name(s) of the SAR and FCs (if any) via the
registration form. Once registration has been confirmed, all future correspondence
will be with the SAR. Similarly, the SAR will have to attend the Technical Briefing
in place of the teacher.
For the polytechnics and ITEs, an adult representative is sufficient in such a
scenario – lecturer, parent, or coach etc.
Why the change in the format for ISBC?
The intention of ISBC has always been to encourage a love for rock climbing. When
it was first started, the competitive climbing scene was also just starting out –
ISBC was thus conceptualised to fill a perceived gap. In recent years, the
bouldering scene has exploded, with many competitions being organised every
year. Climbers today do not lack opportunities to compete nationally.
At the same time, we have realised that there is a gap for climbers that are first
starting out to have a platform to test their skills in a more beginner-friendly
competition. This is especially true for climbers who are picking it up for the first
time as their CCA in secondary schools or other institutions of learning. Given this,
ISBC’s objective is now to encourage a love for climbing through a more cost-
friendly format – climbers of all abilities are welcome to come and try problems of
various difficulties, while still sparking a friendly competitive spirit.
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Registration
When is registration due?
Registration is due on Monday, 16 February 2026. All registrations have to be
submitted via this link – otherwise, the registration will not be processed.
How do I know my registration is confirmed?
Once the registration forms have been collected, we will email the representatives
to confirm the number of students participating in each category, and the payment
method. This email will be sent out by the 23rd of February. Once this has been
confirmed, the school’s registration will be confirmed.
When can I make changes until?
Schools can make changes to the number of participants or payment methods up
until the 23rd of February. Following which, any requests for changes to the
number of participants or details of the participants will not be entertained. We
will not be issuing refunds as well.
However, we accept 1-to-1 exchanges for students competing in the same
category until the morning of the competition itself. For example, if a student
competing in the B division boys’ category has injured himself the day before the
competition, the school can substitute him with another student who is eligible to
compete in the same category. However, we seek the school’s understanding that
we will not be able to reprint any scoresheets or change the student’s name in the
electronic scoring system.
When will you send out the full schedule and detail lists?
We are only able to send this out after registration closes and will aim to do so by
the 27th of February.
What is this briefing about? Who must attend it?
The briefing will cover several aspects of the competition. We will go through the
schedule, and competition rules, as well as what to expect at the competition
itself. We will address key safety concerns and our expectations of the
accompanying adults. Accompanying adults, whether teachers, parents, or
guardians, are required to attend the briefing. In the event you cannot attend the
briefing, we will provide a recorded version. Please do take the time to watch it
before your student/child/ward competes on the 20th of March.
Registration and Payment
Why is there a registration fee?
The fee is to cover the cost of route setting, and the provision of an ambulance on
standby in the event of any injuries or medical emergencies.
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What payment methods do you accept? When is the payment window?
The payment window is between 23rd February and 20th March. Schools paying via
IFAAS will receive the request from 23rd February onwards. Payments in cash or
cheque should be done during school hours and made payable to “Xinmin
Secondary School”. For payment via PayNow, please screenshot the payment with
a comment/reference in the following format: “School Name_ISBC”. Participants
must pay the registration fees before reporting for registration on 20th March. If
payment has not been made by the point of registration, we will not allow your
school to register and take part. We seek your understanding to make the
payment before then.
Organised by: