Petition launched to the International Olympic Committee to make Salsa Dancing an Olympic Dance sport
Atlanta, GA – The World Salsa Championships (WSC), also commonly referred as the “Olympics of Salsa,” brings the finest dancers from five continents together for a competition that results in cash, glory, and international television exposure. After celebrating 5 events: Las Vegas (twice), Disney, Miami and most recently Atlanta, the company organizers just started the solicitation process to select the host city for the 2020 edition.
This is the first bid process following the successful airing of the 2016 show in Atlanta, GA. Similar to many major sporting events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, etc., the WSC will be celebrated every four years.
At the same time, the World Dance Group (WDG), producer of the WSC, is launching an official petition to persuade the International Olympic community to incorporate Salsa into the world’s biggest sport competition for 2024. After years of campaigning to get Ballroom dancing officially classified as a sport, it has officially been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a ‘DanceSport’. The World Games now recognizes Ballroom and Salsa as part of their competitive sports.
“This is a huge step for one day to become an official medal sport and as a matter of fact some of our champions will be competing at the 2017 World Games in Poland” said Billy Fajardo, head judge for the WSC. “Interested people can electronically sign the petition via the change.org website.”
https://www.change.org/p/international-olympic-committee-make-salsa-dancing-an-olympic-sport
ESPN and other international networks broadcasted previous editions of the WSC. The most recent show achieved highest ratings in the 22 -23-age range, evidencing the growing interest of younger generations in Salsa dancing worldwide. The winners of 2016 edition were Colombia, Italy, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Puerto Rico.
“Interested convention bureaus and potential bid cities are invited to present their initial ideas with the WDG,” said Noel Roque, CEO of the WDG. “The bid process is about making a win-win proposal that delivers solutions to celebrate an incredible international event while also meeting the needs of the city to ensure that the event leaves a positive, long-term, sustainable legacy. In addition to increased tourism, the host city will receive considerable media exposure.”
The deadline for cities to officially launch a bid for the 2020 WSC is November 30, 2017. The election of the host city will take place during the summer of 2018.
“There has been strong interest in hosting the next edition from previous and new host cities, especially after seeing some of our champions competing in big shows like Americas Got Talent and NBC’s World of Dance. These are truly exciting news for the dancing community and we will share more information at the Atlanta Bachata Festival that will take place this weekend in Atlanta at the Sheraton downtown hotel. ” said Mr. Roque.
For more information/photos: www.worldsalsachampionships.com
Contact: Ingrid Rivera (404)402-1405; ingrid@worldsalsachampionships.com