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Dance Officially Becomes a Sport in Italy
If you rather like to swing your hips than to strain your
muscles: in Italy you will be right. Italian sports officials
have decided to recognize dancing as an official sport with
its own federation. Tangos,
foxtrots and waltzes will have the same dignity as
volleyball, basketball and athletics on Tuesday when the
national Olympic committee formally recognises the Italian
Federation of Dancing Sports.
The Italian statistics bureau this month revealed that over
a million people in the country now take part in organised
dance courses, compared to half that in 2000.
According to observers, TV shows featuring celebrities who
learn to dance are partly the cause of the recent
popularity.
Last year the most popular of these programmes, RAI state
televisions Dancing with the Stars, was won by Italy’s
former world champion long jumper Fiona May. She had no
doubts that dancing was tough enough to be counted a sport.
“Dancers are physically very strong, They are in fact
fully-fledged athletes and they deserve to have their own
proper sports federation,” she said.
For holidays and the best dancing locations book with Dream
Destination Europe www.dde-europe.com
Text by Martha Mc Quire. Martha is a free writer who lives
in Italy, her main topics are travel and lifestyle. www.dde-europe.com
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