How do you get pole dancing into the Olympics?

Recently, the Pole World Sport Championship was held in London (right before the kick off of the Olympics) to show that pole IS an Olympic-worthy sport.  So it got me wondering how, exactly, you get a sport added to the Olympics.  It turns out that just really, really, really, really wanting it isn't enough!  There is a long freaking process to follow before a sport can even be considered for the Olympics.

According to Olympic.org: 

How does a sport become Olympic?

To make it onto the Olympic programme, a sport first has to be recognised: it must be administered by an International Federation which ensures that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter. If it is widely practised around the world and meets a number of criteria established by the IOC session, a recognised sport may be added to the Olympic programme on the recommendation of the IOC's [International Olympic Committee] Olympic Programme Commission.

Apparently, some sports first go to the World Games, although it is not a requirement:

Some of the sports that were on the program of the World Games eventually made it as Olympic sports (such as triathlon) or have been Olympic sports in the past (like tug of war). Participation in past World Games is included in the evaluation criteria used to select new Olympic sports adopted by the IOC on August 12, 2004. However, with the current position of the IOC to limit the Olympic Games to 10,500 participants, it is unlikely that many of the World Games sports will be elevated to the Olympic sports.

According to wikipedia, here is how an Olympic Sport is considered:

A sport or discipline may be included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world, that is, the number of countries and continents that regularly compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport's prevalence. The requirements for winter sports are considerably lower than for summer sports since many fewer nations compete in winter sports. The IOC also has lower requirements for inclusion of sports and disciplines for women for the same reason. Following the addition of women's boxing in 2012, and women's ski jumping in 2014, there will be no Olympic sport for men only in those Games, although women are still barred from several disciplines (but on the other hand, there are women-only disciplines, such as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming).

^{.  .  .}

These criteria are only a threshold for consideration as Olympic sport. In order to be admitted to the Olympic program, the IOC Session has to approve its inclusion. There are many sports that easily make the required numbers but are not recognized as Olympic sports, mainly because the IOC has decided to put a limit on the number of sports, as well as events and athletes, in the Summer Olympics in order not to increase them from the 28 sports, 300 events and 10,000 athletes of the 2000 Summer Olympics. No such limits exist in the Winter Olympics and the number of events and athletes continue to increase, but no sport has been added since 1998.

 . . .

In order for a sport or discipline to be considered for inclusion in the list of Summer Olympics sports, it must be widely practiced in at least 75 countries, spread over four continents.

If you would like to read the entire Olympic Charter (dated July 8, 2011), please click HERE.  

Here is a response posted on of those random question websites: 

According to Chapter 5, Section III of the Olympic charter [pdf], every edition of the Olympics must include all "core" sports. These core sports are chosen by the Session upon proposal by the IOC Executive Board. In the summer, they must include at least 25 of the sports governed by the following 28 federations:

<sup>- International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
- International Rowing Federation (FISA)
- Badminton World Federation (BWF)
- International Baseball Federation (IBAF)
- International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
- International Boxing Association (AIBA)
- International Canoe Federation (ICF)
- International Cycling Union (UCI)
- International Equestrian Federation (FEI)
- International Fencing Federation (FIE)
- International Association Football Federation (FIFA)
- International Gymnastic Federation (FIG)
- International Weightlifting Federation (IWF)
- International Handball Federation (IHF)
- International Hockey Federation (FIH)
- International Judo Federation (IJF)
- International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA)
- International Swimming Federation (FINA)
- International Union of the Modern Pentathlon (UIPM)
- International Softball Federation (ISF)
- World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)
- International Tennis Federation (ITF)
- International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
- International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
- World Archery Federation (WA)
- International Triathlon Union (ITU)
- International Sailing Federation (ISAF)
- International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)</sup> 

All of these except baseball and softball are currently part of the core.

In winter, the core includes only the sports governed by the following seven federations:

<sup>- International Biathlon Union (IBU)
- International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT)
- World Curling Federation (WCF)
- International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
- International Luge Federation (FIL)
- International Skating Union (ISU)
- International Ski Federation (FIS)</sup> 

The Olympic Committee also recognizes a number of other sports; the committee session at which the host city is selected can also specify that some of these sports are to be included in that edition of the games, but only up to a maximum of 28 sports (which gives quite a bit of leeway in the winter games).

For a sport's governing body to be recognized and hence be eligible for inclusion in the games, it must be in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code; but the final decision rests solely with the committee as determined by a vote.

Baseball and softball have been removed from the games as of the 2012 edition; this opens up two slots. Those slots will be filled by golf and rugby sevens in the 2016 and 2020 games, bringing the total back to the maximum 28. Golf and rugby are not, however, part of the core, so they could be dropped as early as the 2024 games.

So, there is a lot that needs to happen before pole can be recognized as an official Olympic Sport.  I know the International Pole Sports Federation is working hard to make it happen.  As for the 75 country requirement...let's start taking a poll.  I can gather data based on who clicks on my blog, so I know I get a lot of readers from around the world.  Please post a comment below with the country (you can include city/state/etc.) in which you live and share this with your other friends around the world so we can show that pole IS worldwide! Oh yeah, and which sport(s) would you remove to make room for pole?

P.S. on 7/31/2012: I brought this up on Facebook and did the math.  If Olympic events are decided 7 years in advance, pole has only one year to "prove" itself to get into the 2020 Olympics.  Realistically, that means pole may not even have a fighting chance until 2024 (although someone did mention that pole made the short list in 2009, so maybe it is closer than I thought).  Anyway, 2024 is 12 years away, so that would make the current age of a future pole Olympian about...8 years old?  Possibly younger.  What do you think about that?

Pole Fitness and the Olympics

There has been a push lately to separate "pole dancing" and "pole fitness" so that pole can be included in the Olympics (and I have been working on a post about the difference between different types of pole dance).  That separation would also somewhat relate back to my post about children and pole dancing. 

The lovely Valentina from Pole Dance Italy has written an article about pole in the Olympics and has translated it to English for us.  Thank you, Valentina!!!

This is the original post in Italian: http://www.poledanceitaly.com/2012/05/pole-dance-olimpiadi/

Do we really want pole dancing at the Olympics games?

Forget high heels, sparkling costumes and crazy choreography ! We go to the Olympics.

Reading newspapers or press releases of associations in favor of pole dancing to the Olympics, sometimes it occurs to me that this race at the Olympics has done more to elevate the value of the pole dance and make a clean break with the environment of strip club instead of being   recognized for its educational value and the high level reached by sports athletes.

Just watch this video to understand what we mean when we say that pole dancing is a sport.

To bring pole dancing at the Olympics, maybe it's time to stop for a moment and start from the bottom. The national and international organizations should be united for once to find common standards, which would structure the discipline from the basics. This does not mean that the organizers of the many championship around the world are not working good, instead, that means we have to have a common goal and to lay the groundwork for achieving it.

To better understand what is missing to pole dance to make the leap, we looked at the regulations of one of the sports that we think comes closest: gymnastics. Visiting the site of the International Gymnastics Federation FIG is in fact possible to download the technical regulations, found HERE, which we consulted.

Reading the FIG Technical Regulations, 2012, we focus on six aspects that we believe are the most important bases from which to start. The list that follows, is not the absolute truth, but we believe might be the beginning.

Athletes Level
As a very young sport, there aren’t still some specific levels to divide the athlete. In other sports, the levels are often assigned by the age of athletes. If we think of the soccer chicks, newcomers, young, students, juniors and the spring. A regulatory system that regulates and organizes levels, would be useful to unify the championship as well as address training courses in the pole dancing school. In the future it could also mean that the championships will no longer be accessible to everyone as it is now, but limited to age groups. Anyway to overcome this shortcoming, we must find common rules for the certification of the level of athlete.

Elements and Combinations
About this we all know that in any city you go you find a different name for the trick and elements and combos on the pole. Every school, every nation, every region and city uses different names to call the trick, take for instance the Scorpio (reverse and engage with the outside leg) and Gemini (reverse and engage with the inside leg). We all agree? Of course not. It is therefore necessary a common standard for the names of elements and combinations.

Qualifying
In gymnastics championships qualifiers are different according to the discipline. Often, however, are composed of different competitions, held over several days, with the elements and combinations established, or selectable by the candidates on the basis of codes drawn up by organizations. At present the majority of the qualifiers for the national and international championships, is done by sending a filmed choreography that is evaluated by a jury other than that it will judge during the competition. Without going into details of the working of qualifications in gymnastics, we understand that we need common rules for the selection to the championships. Although participation in the future will be bound to send a video, we might think of having two choreographies one with a combination of fixed elements or combo and the other one with elements selectable by the participants from a list of possible combinations. In this way the judges can be impartial and evaluate the technical and executive ability of the athlete.

Evaluation of competing
In some pole dance championships there are two categories under which athletes can participate: Pole Art where is judged the more artistic side of the performance, and the Pole Fit in which it is judge the side more gymnastics. We have to forget it and switch to an evaluation method based on common and precise standards, among which:

    ~ Codes of scores;

    ~ the definition of the value of each element, or combination of elements in an exercise;

    ~ the classification of penalties for performance and execution errors;

    ~ the requirements relating to the composition of the routines, whether compulsory or optional;

    ~ the classification of errors of composition and the penalties applicable;

    ~ the deductions for misconduct, errors, contraventions of the Technical Regulations or any other provisions

This list is not exhaustive, refers to some of the markings on the FIG Technical Regulations 2012, but represents a minimum codification  required in the evaluation methods of participants in competitions of pole dance.


Judges
Who are the judges and what skills they have to judge the athletes, we read in the FIG Technical Regulations 2012: “In order to act in any of the judging capacities, it is necessary – except in the case of members of the Executive Committee acting on the Jury of Appeal – to possess the judges' brevet of the FIG currently in force and, where so required, the classification appropriate to the judging function in question.”

It should be noted that in many disciplines to get the judge brevet, you must have practiced the discipline in question and sometimes to have gained a national or international competition. At the time the judges in pole dance are pole dancers  (international or national champions), the representatives of the federations or celebrities in dance or in the show industry. If we stick to FIG regulations, it must be created an institute for the issuance of pole dance competition judge brevet and define minimum standards of access.

Poles
In the majority of the pole dance competitions are usually used two poles, one in static and one in spinning mode, positioned at a distance between the one and the other of 2 or 3 meters, with a size ranging from 38 mm (Australia) to 50 mm (United States), chromed steel as the X-Pole, and with a height ranging from 3 meters to 4 meters. The type of pole used is critical, athletes have to train on the pole that will be used in the race and know exactly the location and height of them.

We are of course leaving out many other fundamental aspects, but we believe that those presented in the article are sufficient to open a constructive debate on the subject. We would also like to see the international organizations to sit down together and develop common standards valid worldwide. In Italy we are ready and willing this to happen, and take part in the change.

So, what about you guys?  Are you ready for pole in the Olympics??

Weighing in on the debate - Pole dancing in the Olympics

Lately, pole dancing in the 2012 Summer Olympics has been a hot topic.  Of course, my friends know that I am ALL about pole fitness, so everyone has been asking my opinion.  I've been busy with work so, although I have glanced at some articles and blogs, I really haven't paid a lot of attention to them -- just quick glances through.  Nor have I had the chance to think about my actual opinion on the subject (any time someone sends me a link on Facebook, my response has basically been: "HELL YEAH, PUT POLE DANCING IN THE OLYMPICS!").  

Tonight, Rita sent me a link to a blog asking for people IN the pole industry to weigh in on the subject.  So, here goes!

When the posts about a petition to get pole dancing in the Olympics first started flying around Facebook, I (superficially) supported it wholeheartedly (see over-exaggerated response above).  Of course I believe that the athleticism required to be a pole dancer is so much greater than some of the sports I just saw in the Winter Olympics (hellooooooo, what the hell is CURLING and does it require ANY athletic skill?!).  Why wouldn't I support pole dancing in the Olympics?!  I do love the "what's the difference" photo comparing vertical pole to the uneven bars.  

However, the more I think about it, the more I don't really care.  It's not that I don't care about pole dancing.  It's just that I don't care about the Olympics.  In my 33 years, I can't say I've EVER sat down to watch the Olympics (other than short recaps on the news each morning).  I didn't watch the Winter Olympics, which I believe ended yesterday.  And I probably won't watch the Summer Olympics in two years.  (I don't have a problem with the Olympics -- I just don't get into "events" on TV.  I don't watch shows like the Oscars either, if that makes everyone feel better.)  

I do remember scanning one of the blogs...and someone mentioned something about standardizing the names of the twirls.  No thanks.  That's the artistic beauty of pole dance.  I want people to be able to express themselves through their dance without someone telling them what they have to call their moves.  So, while I would love to see pole dancing and pole fitness become more accepted, I don't want it to become so trendy that associations need to come in and make a bunch of rules, which would take all of the fun out of it.  

So, if it's important enough for others to want it in the Olympics, then I passively support their bid.  However, I am not passionate enough about it to rally the troops for this cause.  I enjoy being in my own space, with my friends and my twirls.  I don't need the Olympics to make it legitimate for me.