Cheerleading and the Olympics

Cheerleading has come a long way since the Princeton vs. Rutgers game in 1869. Varsity’s owner, Jeff Webb, has a lot to do with how far it has come. Many people will try to argue that cheerleading is not a sport, however; recently Sport Accord has officially recognized cheerleading and an official sport and the ICU is working with the IOC as well, meaning that in the near future we may see cheerleading in the Olympics!

SportAccord is the umbrella organization for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organizers of multi-sports games and sport-related international organizations. The International Cheerleading Union (ICU) joined SportAccord in 2013, officially recognizing cheerleading as a sport worldwide. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. They are the ones who make sure that the Olympics occur regularly, support all members that are affiliated with the Olympic movement, and promote the Olympic values. 

So what does it take for an activity to be recognized as an Olympic Sport? First the activity must be recognized as a sport by the IOC and requires that it has administration by a non-governmental organization that oversees at least one sport. A sport may receive recognition from the IOC and not become a competing sport in the Olympics, such as chess, rugby, and bowling. In order to become a part of the competing games, the sport’s International Sports Federation status (IF) must file for admittance by filing a petition establishing that it follows all criteria needed. This includes that a sport must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents. The sport must increase the appeal of the Olympics as well as many other rules and regulations that must be passed in order to become a competing sport in the Olympics. There is a huge process that has to be gone through in order to become a sport in the Olympics, and Cheerleading is well on its way, as it is working with the IOC on becoming recognized as a sport.

This is very exciting news for many cheerleaders in the ICU,as well as cheerleaders young and old all over the world, as there are over 70 countries underthe ICU including China, USA, Japan, Costa Rica, and many more.The University of Kentucky coach said he would love to be able to tell his athletes that they could continue to do what they loved outside of college while competing in the games. Just like all other sports around the world, these athletes have been training since a very young age to be the best of the best in the cheerleading world and very soon some day they may be able to get their chance to show the world what they are great at and love to do while competing at the Olympics. 

UCA cheerleaders performing at the Olympics in London.

The authors

Katy Rickels

Katy Rickels has been cheering for 8 years. She cheered for 4 years in high school where she also did 2 years of all-star cheerleading at United All Stars. She continued to cheer in college at Iowa Western Community College and Iowa State University. She has been a UCA instructor for 4 years and is very excited to spend time here in China teaching what she loves most!