IPSF AND POLE SPORTS POISED FOR PROGRESS

Results from the IPSF’s Meeting with the International Olympic Committee February 2017

The IPSF was invited to meet with the IOC on 1^st February for an important feedback discussion regarding our August 2016 application to IOC recognised. This historic meeting represented a positive step forward for Pole Sports, highlighting the hard work and commitment from IPSF members and pole athletes around the world in our bid for pole to become recognised internationally as an official sport. It was a proud moment for the IPSF and Pole Sports being invited to the IOC headquarters to discuss the future of pole ;

This was the first time anyone from our sport has been able to present our amazing sport to the IOC and it was a great honour.  Applying to the IOC is a lengthy process covering many aspects of governance related to being an international sport. The IOC Sports Department graciously relayed to us that they were extremely impressed with the rapid growth and development the IPSF has achieved for Pole Sports in just a few short years. It was confirmed by the IOC in the meeting that the IPSF, as the governing body of pole, is on the right track for our sport and has made an impressive leap toward a positive future based on the quality of standards and regulations already in place by the IOC on a global basis. This shows how serious and committed the pole community is around the world about having our sport recognised for our athletes, our federations, our judges and all our pole enthusiasts. The impression of pole by the IOC is that we are a new progressive and trendy sport with not only youth appeal but evidence that pole is a sport for all. These words were music to the IPSF’s ears, as we know from research, that’s these are all qualities that the IOC looks for when officially recognising a sport.

In addition to the prestige of meeting with the IOC, the SportAccord also attended the IPSF’s meeting as observers, and it was a further honour to meet the SportAccord’s New Memberships team. Already having an ongoing application with the SportAccord for official sport recognition, we look forward to further working with them towards the future of our sport.

In the meeting, the IOC provided important feedback to us and advised that the many different aspects of our application showed we have been implementing correct policies and procedures in all areas of IPSF and Pole Sports governance. We were also given positive guidance to help us make important improvements in line with the IOC IF Recognition procedures, and we look forward to the many new challenges facing us in our bid to have pole recognised as an official international sport.

President Katie Coates said of the meeting “The meeting was extremely successful. The work of the Pole Sports community and the IPSF have been acknowledged at the highest sporting level with this historical meeting. The advice given to us has been invaluable and we now have conformation that we are moving in the right direction.  From this feedback session the IPSF will be launching further projects geared towards growing our sport and will continue with expanding its federations from 23 currently to 50 over the coming years. The future couldn’t be brighter!”

The meeting overall was positive, welcoming, informative and encouraging. We would like to thank all of our IPSF members, each one of which is a volunteer and generously donates their time to the cause. They are as committed and dedicated to this process as we are and we are grateful. We would also like to thank all of the pole athletes, pole coaches, pole enthusiasts, and pole community at large for your amazing participation and continued support. We are all in this together!

We look forward to sharing with all of you, new developments within the IPSF and Pole Sports over the coming months and years. Being invited to this incredible meeting with the IOC and SportAccord shows that the IPSF is on the right track and has the full support and respect from such prestigious international sporting institutions. This is amazing news for the future of Pole Sports and it spurs us to continue to work for the growth of pole as a worldwide officially recognised mainstream sport.

If you would like to help grow pole hands on, we would welcome your participation! There are so many ways to join this journey!

• Become a Federation (we can help you)
• Join your Federation (we can point you in the right direction)
• Complete the global Pole survey launching soon (you can do it!)
• Attend IPSF competitions (we have a list for you to make it easy)
• Volunteer at the IPSF (we are all volunteers and we could use your help!)
• Sign up for our Newsletter to stay aware of all the latest news in Pole

If we didn’t already know, we had great indication in the recent IOC meeting, that our sport is strong, and respected, and through concerted efforts, we will continue to work for its growth and evolution. We look forward to working together with the pole community at large toward a very bright future for Pole Sports.