Why Does the IPSF Represent a Strong International Framework for Pole and Aerial Sports?

Pole and aerial sports have undergone tremendous development in recent years. What was once seen by many primarily as a spectacular form of movement has increasingly evolved into a regulated competitive sport, with its own competition system, judge education, coaching requirements, anti-doping rules, and international championships.

A particularly important role in this development is played by the International Pole and Aerial Sports Federation (IPSF).

The IPSF international system is about much more than competitions alone. It is building a sports structure in which athletes, coaches, judges, and national federations can work according to common rules and international professional standards.

A Sport Becomes Truly International When It Uses the Same Rules

One of the most important foundations of international competitive sport is comparability.

It matters whether an athlete's performance can only be understood within a particular country or competition, or whether the same performance can be evaluated by judges and athletes elsewhere according to the same criteria.

To achieve this, the IPSF operates a unified Code of Points system. Its Athlete Hub provides athletes and coaches with the current technical rules and scoring criteria for different disciplines. The system covers disciplines including Pole Sports, Aerial Hoop, Aerial Pole, Artistic Pole, Artistic Hoop, Artistic Aerial Silks, and Ultra Pole.

For an athlete, this can be a major advantage: when they train and compete according to the same international rules, a genuine connection can be created between domestic competition and the international level.

An International Competition Pathway for Athletes

One of the greatest strengths of the IPSF is its international competition system.

For an athlete, a domestic competition does not necessarily have to be the final destination. The system can provide a longer sporting pathway:

training → national competition → international qualification → international competition → World Championships.

The history of the IPSF also demonstrates this development. The first Pole Sports World Championships were held in 2012, with 43 athletes from 14 countries. By 2017, 229 athletes from 36 countries were taking part in the World Championships.

This illustrates the significant international expansion of the sport and its competition system.

An Important International Milestone: GAISF

A particularly important milestone in the history of the IPSF was its move toward the international sports governance system.

According to the IPSF's own historical documentation, the organisation began its recognition process with GAISF — formerly known as SportAccord — in 2014 and started aligning its structure with GAISF and IOC criteria.

In 2016, the IPSF became a WADA Signatory, and in 2017 it entered into a trilateral agreement involving FIG and GAISF and subsequently received GAISF Observer Status.

This is an important part of the historical development of the IPSF.

At the same time, precision is important: the 2017 GAISF Observer Status is a historical status. It does not mean that the IPSF is automatically an Olympic international sports federation today.

Its significance lies in the fact that the IPSF has historically sought to develop its organisation in accordance with international sports-governance and Olympic-related criteria.

WADA: Clean Sport and International Anti-Doping Standards

One of the most important issues in competitive sport is anti-doping.

The IPSF has adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and operates as a WADA Signatory. Its anti-doping programme is designed to promote clean sport and equal conditions of competition.

The IPSF system includes the WADA Prohibited List, Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs), anti-doping education, and compliance with anti-doping regulations.

For IPSF athletes, this provides an important level of protection because they compete within an internationally coordinated anti-doping framework.

The IPSF also specifically provides channels through which athletes, coaches, and other stakeholders can report suspected doping to WADA, the IPSF, or the relevant national anti-doping organisation.

The TUE System Is Also Part of the International Framework

This can be particularly important for athletes who, for legitimate medical reasons, require medication containing a substance included on the WADA Prohibited List.

The IPSF operates a TUE system that allows an athlete, where medically justified, to obtain permission to use a prohibited substance or method for therapeutic purposes. Applications are assessed through the IPSF TUE Committee system.

This is an important component of a serious competitive sports framework.

The IPSF Does Not Only Educate Athletes — It Also Educates Coaches

The professional standard of a sport cannot be measured solely by the performance of its athletes.

A strong coaching infrastructure is also necessary.

For this reason, the IPSF has established specific requirements for recognised coaches. Current requirements include training relating to the applicable Code of Points, anatomy and physiology education, as well as completion of WADA anti-doping education.

This is important because an athlete's safety and development depend greatly on the professional knowledge of the coach responsible for their preparation.

Athlete Safety and Representation

In modern sport, organising competitions alone is no longer enough.

Athletes need a safe, fair, and transparent sporting environment.

The IPSF Athlete Hub provides information relating to athlete welfare, anti-doping, technical matters, and athlete representation. The Athletes' Commission provides a direct channel through which athletes can raise concerns, provide feedback, and make suggestions.

This represents a governance approach in which an athlete is not simply someone who takes part in a competition, but one of the central participants in the sporting system.

Hungary as Part of an International System

Hungary is included in the IPSF's official national federation structure through the Hungarian Pole and Aerial Sports Federation (HPASF).

This provides Hungarian athletes with an international point of connection within the IPSF system.

For athletes, this means that domestic competition can be connected to a broader international sporting framework based on common rules, qualification structures, technical standards, and international competition.

Why Does This Matter to an Athlete?

From an athlete's perspective, a federation structure is truly valuable when it creates concrete opportunities.

Within the IPSF system, these include:

• a unified international scoring system;
• a sporting pathway connecting national and international competitions;
• a World Championship system;
• multiple pole and aerial disciplines;
• international judge and coach education;
• WADA-based anti-doping regulations;
• a TUE system;
• athlete representation;
• technical and professional documentation;
• an international federation network;
• and long-term international sports-development objectives.

Taken together, this represents much more than simply determining where a competition is held.

The Goal Is Not Simply the Next Medal

In competitive sport, of course, every athlete wants to win a medal.

But a well-developed international system can provide much more than that.

It can help a young athlete progress through different stages of development, from youth competition to junior and senior levels. It can allow a talented athlete to eventually become a coach or judge. And it can create a professional community in which knowledge and experience do not stop at national borders.

The history of the IPSF reflects this direction. Since its establishment in 2009, the organisation has progressively developed rules, international championships, an anti-doping system, a national federation network, new disciplines, and athlete representation.

Conclusion: The Value of an International System for Athletes

One of the most important advantages of the IPSF is that it approaches pole and aerial sports as international competitive sports governed by common rules and professional standards.

The system is built around national federations, international competitions, technical regulations, athlete representation, coaching and judging education, and anti-doping standards.

Its history also includes important milestones in international sports governance. The IPSF became a WADA Signatory in 2016 and received GAISF Observer Status in 2017.

For athletes, however, the most important issue is not simply the history of the organisation. It is what the system can provide in practice:

• the ability to compete under common international rules;
• evaluation by trained judges;
• preparation by appropriately qualified coaches;
• competition within a clean-sport framework;
• athlete representation;
• and a potential international sporting pathway.

The future of pole and aerial sports is therefore not simply about how many competitions are held each year.

It is about whether we can build a sporting system in which an athlete's performance can be understood and evaluated within the same professional framework regardless of where they compete.

That is where an international federation system such as the IPSF can provide significant value.