The second leg of this season’s competition, after Meiringen in Switzerland hosted the opener earlier this month, will see bouldering and speed events and more than 150 athletes set to participate before Nanjing host the next stage on April 29 and 30.

Action at the Huayan Climbing Park will start tomorrow with the men’s and women’s bouldering qualification rounds before the finals on Sunday (April 23).

Defending World Cup champion Shauna Coxsey of Great Britain got her season off to a good start by winning the women’s bouldering in Switzerland and topped the podium last year when in Chongqing.

She is expected to be tested by Japan’s Miho Nonaka, who has made the podium at the venue for the last two seasons, and Austria’s Katharina Saurwein, who came second in Meiringen.

In the men’s competition, the Japanese quartet of Tomoa Narasaki, who won in Chongqing last year, Kokoro Fujii, the victor from Meiringen, Keita Watabe and Rei Sugimoto are all leading contenders for first place.

On Sunday, the first speed event of the World Cup season will take place.

Poland’s Marcin Dzienski, the 2016 speed champion, is set to appear in Chongqing as he prepares to appear at this year’s World Games on home soil in Wroclaw.

Home support will be pointed towards Oixin Zhong as he looks to win the stage he had success in 2015.

Last year’s quickest women Iuliia Kaplina of Russia, who won the speed World Cup title, and France’s Anouck Jaubert are the stand-out names for Sunday’s acton.

They will also be joined by Russian Mariia Krasavina, who topped the Chongqing podium in 2015.