Anything But Waiting
Spaeker was interviewed by Thomas Frei: "When the Summer Olympic Games take place in Tokyo two years from now, many new sports such as skateboarding, surfing, climbing or softball will get featured. Why is dancing not yet on the programme?"
And here is his answer - headlined STILL WAITING FOR OLYMPIA: "Dancing and the Olympic Sports Programme - the two make for a long story. The World DanceSport Federation works on this project for many years already, but without success so far. Many 'decision-takers' in the matter of Olympic disciplines do not perceive dancing as sport."
Even though Heinz Spaeker attempted to put the above into perspective by commenting further on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition and on breaking at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (BAYOG), his answers did not do justice to the facts.
The only decision-takers in the matter - the members of the IOC Session - voted to recognise dancing as a sport back in 1995. More than twenty years later, on 6 December 2016, the specialists who spearhead the development of the Olympic Sports Programme, the members of the Executive Board, voted to add DanceSport to the programme of the BAYOG. Breaking is DanceSport and - if all disciplines will pull together - it will be hugely successful in its first appearance at Olympic Games. It already was with its first stage of YOG qualifying.
No, DanceSport will not feature as a medal sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but last year its bid video won an award at a Japanese Film Festival held to promote the upcoming Games. Who knows what else can happen between now and 2020? As long as we all stay positive, Heinz!
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