Jakarta – Indonesia’s proud sport climbing athlete and Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, Veddriq Leonardo, has been nominated for the 2024 Best Athlete list by the International World Games Association (IWGA).
The list of nominees for the 2024 Best Athlete award was released by IWGA on Tuesday (Jan 7). In addition to Veddriq, there are 21 other athletes from various sports, both individual and team categories.

Among the 22 nominees, Veddriq is the only Indonesian athlete included in the nominations. His name was submitted by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).

IFSC Considers Veddriq’s Outstanding Achievements Worthy of the Nomination

Veddriq was nominated due to his outstanding achievements, as recognized by IFSC. He made history by winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal in sport climbing at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the speed category last July. He also recorded his best time when competing against Wu Peng from China in the final match.

Additionally, he secured another remarkable achievement at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, where he won a gold medal after defeating his compatriot and rival, Kiromal Katibin.

Veddriq’s impressive performances in the 2024 IFSC World Cup Series also contributed to his nomination for this prestigious award.

Two Voting Rounds to Determine the Award Winner

The voting process to determine the award winner will take place in two rounds on the official website of The World Games: www.theworldgames.org.

The first voting round will be held from January 9 to January 22, 2025, until 12:00 GMT (19:00 WIB).

During this round, each voter must cast two votes for two different candidates, and voting is limited to once per day.

The second round of voting will take place from January 22, 2025, at 12:00 GMT (19:00 WIB) until January 31, 2025, at 12:00 GMT (19:00 WIB).

In the second voting phase, only the top 10 candidates with the highest votes from the first round will proceed. At this stage, all votes will be reset to zero, and the candidates will compete again for votes.

At the end of the second voting round, only the top three candidates with the most votes will be awarded The World Games Athlete of The Year 2024 by IWGA.

Awards for the Top Three Athletes

According to IWGA’s official website, the top three athletes with the most votes in the final round will receive a trophy, valuable prizes, and extensive positive publicity. However, the specific details of the prizes and promotional campaigns were not disclosed.

FPTI Encourages Public Support for Veddriq Leonardo

The Indonesian Sport Climbing Federation (FPTI), through its president Yenny Wahid, has called on Indonesians to support and vote for Veddriq Leonardo, the country’s pride in sport climbing.

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She emphasized that winning this award would not only be a great honor but also reinforce the commitment of Indonesian athletes, especially Veddriq, to continue achieving greatness, particularly leading up to The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China.

“Winning the Athlete of the Year award reflects Indonesia’s commitment to excelling in international sports. Supporting Veddriq is not just about celebrating his past successes but also about motivating him to face future challenges, including The World Games 2025.”

“Let’s unite in supporting Veddriq Leonardo to win this award.” she concluded.

Sport Climbing to Feature at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China

Meanwhile, sport climbing will return for the sixth consecutive edition of The World Games, which is set to take place from August 7–17, 2025, in Chengdu, China. A total of six medal events in the Speed discipline will be contested from August 14–16.