International Pole Sports Federation

The International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF) is a not-for-profit global organization that has been recognized as an Observer Member by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) as the international governing body for pole sports.[1][2][3] The IPSF is the umbrella organization for national pole federations and hosts the annual World Pole Championships.

Background and history

Pole sports involves the use of metal poles where athletes engage in acrobatic and artistic movements and tricks choreographed to music. In the 1990s and 2000s, pole dance developed into a fitness activity.[4][5][6][7] In 2009, Katie Coates and Tim Trautman formed the IPSF to promote pole as a sport.[8] They felt that as pole dance was developing as a sport, it was spread out in local competitions with irregular standards, and they wanted to bring structure and fair play to further its development and professionalization. The IPSF is governed by an executive committee.

The IPSF has created rules and regulations to govern pole sports, such as a code of points, policies regarding health and safety, and certification for sports officials.[9][10][11] National federations work with the IPSF on implementing these standards in national pole sports competitions.[12][13][14][15][16] National pole sports federations associated with the IPSF now exist in multiple continents, from Africa to Asia, and other federations are in the process of creating a structured plan to become endorsed by the IPSF.[15][17] The United States, for example, has a national federation under the IPSF called the American Pole League.[18] National federations send their top competitors to the World Pole Championships hosted by the IPSF. The IPSF is one of the signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code through the World Anti-Doping Agency (a code which arose through the impetus of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)).[19] In 2012, the IPSF began the annual World Pole Championships where men, women, and youth athletes compete.[8] In 2017, 229 athletes from 36 countries participated.[8] Viewers could view the competition live online via livestream. The IPSF has partnered with SolidSport to produce and promote viewership of the championships.[20][21]

The IPSF has met with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has stated that one of its goals is to make pole sports an Olympic sport.[8][22][23][10][24] Their efforts to do so have generated international media attention for pole sports, the IPSF and its founders.[25][10][26][27][28][29][11][5] Most recently, the IPSF applied to SportAccord (now GAISF) in 2015, and was formally granted observer status by GAISF in 2017.[3] The media has questioned the purpose of the IPSF and whether it can be a professional sport, especially for youth athletes; the media has also reported on IPSF efforts to standardize the sport, the athleticism required within the championships the IPSF organizes, and IPSF inclusion of a range of age categories, from child athletes to masters athletes in championships.[30][25][31][32][11][33] Some pole dancers are concerned that the IPSF's efforts and professionalization will promote pole sports over other forms of pole dance, for example making poling more athletic, standardized, and trick heavy to the neglect of artistry.[34][35][36] However, other pole dancers believe that it would bring greater international recognition to the sport, potentially prompting greater funding and support for national federations and more participation from youth. Some of the IPSF's standards are designed to separate pole sports from gymnastics. According to the IPSF, the organization signed a three-way agreement with GAISF and FIG (the Federation of International Gymnastics) specifying conditions whereby FIG would support the IPSF's entry into GAISF. [37][38][39]

Disciplines

In addition to pole sports, the IPSF has created codes and standards for competitions in the disciplines of ultra pole, artistic pole, and para pole.[9][40] Ultra pole involves rounds of trick battles between participants. Artistic pole puts more emphasis on artistic elements compared to pole sports. Para pole "has been developed in line with Paralympic criteria to now include three categories, muscle, limb and sight deficiency."

References
  1. "About International Pole Sports Federation". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  2. "International Pole Sports Federation | Yearbook Profile | Union of International Associations". uia.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  3. "» Seven international federations awarded gaisf observer status". gaisf.org. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  4. Holland, Samantha (2010). Pole Dancing, Empowerment, and Embodiment. Palgrave Macmillan.
  5. Griffiths, Kerry (2016). Femininity, Feminism and Recreational Pole Dancing. Routledge.
  6. Kally Whitehead; Tim Kurz (2009-05-01). "'Empowerment' and the Pole: A Discursive Investigation of the Reinvention of Pole Dancing as a Recreational Activity". Feminism & Psychology. 19 (2): 224–244. doi:10.1177/0959353509102218. hdl:10871/11306. ISSN 0959-3535.
  7. Dale, Joshua Paul (2013). "The Future of Pole Dance". Australasian Journal of Popular Culture.
  8. "History of Pole Sports and the IPSF". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  9. "The Sport of Pole currently has Four World Disciplines - Sports, Artistic, Ultra and Urban". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  10. Payne, Marissa (2017-10-18). "Pole-dancing in the Olympics? International sports federation recognition helps pave the way". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  11. Gulyas, Veronika (2013-08-12). "Pole Dancers Buff Image With Rules and a Dress Code". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  12. "Home". SAPSF. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  13. "Swiss Pole Sports Federation (SPSF) – Pole Dance – Pole Fitness – Pole Gymnastic". www.swisspolesportsfederation.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  14. "Canadian Pole Sport Federation | IPSF in Canada | Pole Sports". Canadian Pole Sport Federation | IPSF in Canada | Pole Sports (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  15. "IPSF Endorsed National Pole Sports Federations". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  16. "Pole Esporte Brasil". polesportsbrasil.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  17. "Pole Sports Federation India | Best, Top Pole Sports Federation in India". www.polesportsindia.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  18. "American Pole League". American Pole League. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  19. "World Anti-Doping Agency". World Anti-Doping Agency. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  20. "International Pole Sport Federation (IPSF) and SolidTango are looking to the future with digital media rights partnership". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  21. "Solidsport - All sports, everywhere". solidsport.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  22. "International Pole Sports Federation - The Governing Body of Pole Sports - 08/08/17 One Step Closer". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  23. "One step for Pole Athletes - One huge leap for Pole Sports". Vertical Wise. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  24. "Spin Control: Encouraged by IOC Meeting, Pole Sports Announces New Divisions". www.sportsdestinations.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  25. "Pole dancing: Could it one day become an Olympic sport?". BBC Sport. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  26. "Olympics may soon feature pole dancing, foosball and poker". Fox News. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  27. Reporters, Telegraph (2017-10-16). "Pole dancing now recognised by international sports body - leaving the door open to inclusion in the Olympics". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  28. "Pole dancing and poker could be included in the Olympics". The Independent. 2017-10-22. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  29. "Pole Sports: 'We Will Not Become Part of Gymnastics'". www.sportsdestinations.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  30. Slater, Lydia (2014-11-09). "Pole-dancing: Olympic sport or strip-club sleaze?". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  31. Saner, Emine (2016-07-25). "From strip clubs to sports halls: the reinvention of pole dancing". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  32. "Meet Katie Coates, The Woman Who Is Trying Her Best To Make Pole Dancing An Olympic Sport". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  33. Locker, Melissa. "Should Pole Dancing Be An Olympic Sport?". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  34. "The Way of The Pole - The Art of Pole Dancing in China | The World of Chinese". www.theworldofchinese.com. 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  35. Telford, William (2017-10-20). "Pole dancers reveal what it's really like as it could become Olympic sport". mirror. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  36. "Pole in the Olympics - Aerial Amy". Aerial Amy. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  37. "Pole Sports: 'We Will Not Become Part of Gymnastics'". Gymnastics Coaching.com. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  38. "FIG support pole sports application for GAISF membership". Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  39. "International Pole Sports Federation - The Governing Body of Pole Sports - 08/08/17 One Step Closer". www.polesports.org. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  40. "IPSF announced the addition of a Para Pole category". Vertical Wise. 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
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