The Mawem Brothers | Why They’re So Important For Climbing

People who climb tend to be White or East Asian (think South Koreans, Chinese, Japanese), so when someone like Mickaël Mawem and his brother Bassa show up and compete at the highest level, it puts into perspective how climbing is so, so behind when it comes to representation.

I remember seeing Mawem clinching gold at the 2023 Bern IFSC World Championship (Bouldering), and boy was I stunned. It never occurred to me until that moment that climbing was seriously lacking in Black and Brown people.

*Bassa Mawem, too, is just as impressive, winning a silver medal at the 2018 Innsbruck IFSC World Championship (Speed).

The Mawem Brothers = hope for many

Sometimes, people don’t like admitting that climbing is very much a rich or above-average person’s sport.

My friend has a good term for this, saying that climbing is ‘high ses’, meaning high socioeconomic status.

Of course, sports with higher economic barriers tend to be more accessible for certain racial groups and less accessible to others.

For instance, buying a day pass just to climb already sets you back more than $20! And that’s not accounting for renting climbing shoes and buying chalk.

Unsurprisingly, most hobbyist climbers and pros tend to be more well-to-do or at least middle-class.

Additionally, climbing has culturally been a White sport. A fantastic Reddit post from 12 years ago (yes, 12 years ago), discusses this very topic.

If minority groups aren’t exposed to climbing, then it is no surprise that there are so few non-Whites competing.

“What’s the big deal? so what?”

Back to the Mawem brothers — I think the sheer fact that they are so talented and skilled despite being the ‘other’ in climbing shows that climbing isn’t just relegated to certain racial groups, hence giving many minority groups a lot of hope.

I mean, when’s the last time you saw a climber on YouTube or Instagram who isn’t White or East Asian?

Aside from the Mawem brothers and Kai Lightner, nobody else really comes to mind.

Having someone who ‘looks like you’ can be inspiring, and it shows that you belong there. Without representation, climbing will always feel like an exclusive club that minorities can’t access.

Having inclusivity tears down the stereotype that climbing is for Whites and East Asians — it essentially brings more people of different backgrounds and races together.

And at the end of the day… Isn’t climbing all about sharing the joy of sending routes and finding new betas with people from all walks of life?

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Interested in how wingspan affects climbing? Read about it here!