Pole Dancing Could Become An Olympic Sport
From the underground to the world’s biggest athletic stage – pole dancing is now on its way to becoming an Olympic sport.
After slowly breaking into mainstream fitness in recent years, it has become somewhat normal to attend pole dancing classes. Competitions are being held all over the world, including the World Pole Sports Championships which began in 2012.
British campaigner Katie Coates has been pushing to get pole dancing recognised as a sport for over a decade.
The Global Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF) has now given the activity “observer status” and confirmed that it would be classified as a professional sport from October 2017.
According to the Washington Post, Observer status is the first step international federations must achieve before becoming full GAISF members and is a key step towards hopefully making Olympic status.
IPSF president Katie Coates told Sky News it was 'phenomenal' to gain recognition.
Other sporting bodies have also been granted observer status, including the World Arm-Wrestling Federation, the World Dodgeball Association, and the International Federation of Poker.
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