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Every four years the world unites in celebration for the Olympic games, showcasing the top athletes from around the globe.
The Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece over 3,000 years ago and were revived in the late 1800s. Today, athletes from over 200 countries compete for gold in a myriad of sports.
This past summer, junior Ruchikan Phonnithithananan watched from her hometown in Thailand as athletes from around the world competed in the Olympics, each representing their nation with dedication and pride.
As she watched events like tennis, basketball, track and field, Phonnithithananan noticed something missing: cheerleading.
This was the first time Phonnithithananan had noticed the lack of representation in the sport that she competes in.
Phonnithithananan was captivated by cheerleading from the first time she saw her mom perform professionally. Now, she’s on the varsity cheerleading squad, constantly working to whip up the crowd and motivate the players at sporting events and pep rallies.
“Cheer is my passion,” Phonnithithananan said. “I have always been a cheerleader and a dancer. It’s what I love to do and I will continue to do it with all I have.”
Despite her dedication, Phonnithithananan struggles with the reality that cheerleading isn’t an Olympic possibility.
“Seeing that my sport isn’t in the Olympics makes me feel like I will never be able to accomplish my dream of being an Olympic athlete,” she said. “Cheerleading is the only sport I’m passionate about.”
The exclusion of cheerleading from the Olympics is often attributed to the belief that cheer is more art than sport.
However, cheerleaders perform complex athletic feats that often go unnoticed.
“Just like any other athlete in any other sport we have to be physically and mentally strong to be able to do the types of stunts we do,” Phonnithithananan said. “Some people believe that cheer is not a sport because they think cheer is just dancing, but it’s way more than that.”
Freshman Stephany Hernandez believes that cheerleading needs to be considered a sport because of the amount of physical activity involved.
“The amount of flexibility, coordination and conditioning that we have to do in order to do lifts and tumbling is remarkable,” Hernandez said. “Cheer practice is almost the same practice that someone would have to do for other sports, so it should be in the same category.”
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, a sport involves competition, a criterion that cheerleading teams not only meet but exceed with year round seasons and end-of-the-year competitions.
Despite fitting the definition of a sport, cheerleading’s Olympic debut is hindered by its complex scoring system and limited global popularity.
The scoring system for cheerleading is based on the degree of difficulty of the routine, percent of team participation, combination of skills and the pace of the skills performed.
This intricate scoring system can be challenging for non-participants to grasp, potentially reducing viewership and impacting popularity.
While modifications to the scoring system are unlikely, it’s notable that sports like gymnastics also feature complex scoring, yet remain Olympic staples.
Moreover, cheerleading’s roots are predominantly American, with limited recognition internationally, which affects its Olympic prospects..
“It is very disappointing that cheerleading isn’t being included in the Olympics,” she said. “The Olympics is the highest achievement in sports and being part of that would provide recognition and validation for the hard work and dedication that cheerleaders put into it.”
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 print edition.
