As a pole dancer, I always defaulted to”yes, of course!” After all, pole is as physically challenging as gymnastics, and beautiful to watch. Plus, being included in the Olympics could help legitimize pole to the general public, who often still stigmatize pole. However, lately I’ve come across a few compelling arguments against adding pole to the Olympics.
Pole Athletes Are unique in their demographics
Notice the average age of Olympic gymnasts. They start training as young children, peak as teens, and often retire by age 20. This isn’t uncommon among sports in general. Even at a recreational level, many adult sports expect that you have some experience or basic knowledge to participate. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with kids learning pole, but I really appreciate that pole is one of the only activities that you’re expected to start learning as an adult. In fact, I started pole because I could not find a gymnastics gym anywhere near me that offered adult classes.
Stigma, Stigma, Stigma
We pole dancers are always fighting stigma. On the surface it seems inevitable that Olympic status would alleviate this stigma, but some dancers offer another perspective. The fear is that it could actually further stigmatize certain styles of pole dance. Since the Olympics are family friendly, exotic pole dance would probably be prohibited. This could increase the divide between sexy pole and athletic pole. If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of YouTube comments, you know that they’re full of misguided suggestions that one pole dancer is more respectable than another, or accusing exotic style dancers of ruining the sport. The Olympics is the most respected athletic event in the world, and if it only features a specific style of pole, it could further perpetuate the idea that other styles of pole are inferior.
Dancing for a score
Furthermore, Olympic performances are judged on points systems and strict regulations. These regulations are arguably much stricter than many pole competitions. The concern is that pole routines will become a means to gather points, rather than an artistic endeavor.
When you go to a pole dance competition, you often find a huge variety of routines- funny routines, lyrical routines, sporty routines, sexy routines, and more. It is unlikely that this variety would carry through to the Olympics, with its specific expectations.
In Conclusion
Realistically, we can’t be certain how much the Olympics would effect pole communities at large. It seems reasonable to assume that such a monumental event would have significant impact on a sport, but it also seems unlikely that the majority of studios would transition into Olympic training centers.
Even with all these things considered, I still think pole deserves a place in the Olympic Games. However, these arguments against the movement do bring up important reminders for the larger pole dance community. Let’s all work together to preserve the variety of things that make pole beautiful, empowering, and fun!