Cheerleading, muay thai granted provisional Olympic status
International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) executive board voted on Tuesday to recognise cheerleading and the combat sport muay thai, meaning that the governing body for each sport will receive at least $25,000 annually from the committee and have the opportunity to apply for additional grants.
The provisional recognition of the two sports, which will last for up to three years, lays the groundwork for each sport to apply for inclusion in the Olympics.
At any point during those three years, committee executives can vote to fully recognise either of the sports, after which each could petition to be included in the Games.
This year, the committee voted to include several new sports — among them skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing — in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, in the interest of appealing to younger audiences.
Tuesday’s vote to approve cheerleading and muay thai, a sport similar to kickboxing, signalled further efforts by the Olympic committee to appeal to a new generation as it battles a global doping scandal that is threatening its credibility and relevance.
Kit McConnell, the International Olympic Committee’s sports director, invoked the “high youth appeal” of cheerleading.
The sport’s newly recognised governing body has its headquarters in the United States.