Cheerleading is now an Olympic sport

For years, we’ve heard the argument whether or not cheerleading is an actual sport. From the outside, to me, it was never a question.

Some of the most athletic people I’ve ever seen have been cheerleaders, so with no doubt, it’s always been a sport.

However, it was never recognized as one by the International Olympic Community (IOC) until now. This is huge news for all cheerleaders across the world, and especially for the ones at the University of Kentucky.

The International Cheer Union (ICU) has worked relentlessly on this for the last 11 years. In 2016, they managed to get partial recognition by the IOC, but that wasn’t enough.

Team USA Cheer most recently won 12 world championships at ICU’s 2019 international competitions, bringing the grand total of medals earned by the US to 83.

Of those Team USA Cheer members, many have been former or current Kentucky cheerleaders. The Cats have the richest history in all of America when it comes to their cheer squad with an astounding 24 National Championships.

These athletes will finally be able to compete on the world’s largest stage the next time the Olympics come around.

As we’re seeing in this year’s Olympics, Kentucky will be even more well represented the for the next ones that include cheerleading.