A competitor warms up before the semi-finals of the 2015 World Pole Dance Championships in Tianjin on April 11, 2015. -- PHOTO: AFP.
BEIJING (AFP): Erotic display or serious sport? At the World Pole Dancing Championships finals in Beijing on Sunday, competitors in skin-tight suits insisted that their challenging discipline deserves Olympic recognition.
The limber and lithe contestants from more than 10 countries on four continents hope they can shed the sport's association with seedy strip clubs and win respect as skilled athletes.
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