[Adelle Nazarian | Breitbart | 15 Aug 2014]
As the rising popularity of pole dancing reaches new heights, the movement has garnered a push by the International Pole Sports Federation to make pole dancing an Olympic sport. And in Sacramento, California, a group of pole-fitness dancers have been training and preparing for just that.
“I do want to compete in the Olympics once they bring it [pole dancing],” said Jamie Peres to Sacramento NBC News affiliate KCRA. She started pole dancing just two years ago.
A petition to make the sport part of the 2016 Olympics has been circulating on change.org.
Sacramento-based pole dancing instructor Mone’t Ha-sidi described it as a sport–specifically, “a combination between cardio and strength training.” She said that if pole dancing were to make it to the Olympics that it would be more “gymnastics based.” She teaches at the Sacramento Pole Dance Studio.