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Pole dancing, dodgeball inch closer to becoming Olympic sports

Enrique Marcarian/Reuters / Action

The Olympics could one day include pole dancing.

The International Pole Sports Federation was awarded "observer status" by the Global Association of International Sports Federation earlier this month, meaning it's now provisionally recognized as a sport.

"I feel like we have achieved the impossible, everyone told us that we would not be able to get pole dancing recognized as a sport," IPSF president Katie Coates told the Daily Telegraph.

The World Armwrestling Federation, World Dodgeball Association, Federation for International FootGolf, International Union of Kettlebell Lifting, International Federation of (Match) Poker, and International Table Soccer Federation were also added to the "observer status" list.

"This is an exciting time for them and for us and we will do everything within our remit to help them realize their full potential as International Federations within the global sport's family and, one day, maybe become part of the Olympic program," GAISF president Patrick Baumann said in a statement. "The new sports debuting at Tokyo 2020 and at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics are evidence that the pathway is there."

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