Cheerleading : a sport in need of professionalisation in Belgium and on course to become the next Olympic sport

Cheerleading is a sport. Born in the United States of America, it did not use to be a sport. Cheerleading evolved greatly over the past century and so did the organisations managing it, whether on a national or international level. The Belgian Cheerleading Federation is the entity developing the sport in Belgium. This is a fairly new organisation in need of professionalisation. Globally, the sport continuously gains in popularity. This has permitted one of the International cheerleading federations, the International Cheer Union, to seek recognition with the International Olympic Committee, an organisation with respected history and values. In December 2016, the International Olympic Committee granted provisional recognition to this cheerleading federation. Before applying, the concerned party has to comply with several criteria. Subsequently, information needs to be gathered according to different themes regrouping more than 50 items. The next step for the International Cheer Union is seeking Olympic inclusion. In order to become an Olympic sport a more extensive application is required. The challenges faced by rugby and golf as new Olympic sports will be used as examples to provide a point of comparison. Cheerleading has a chance of becoming an Olympic sport. The Olympic Games of Los Angeles 2028 provide the best opportunity for cheerleading to appear on the Olympic programme. Once this opportunity passes, the Olympic future of cheerleading will remain uncertain.