The South African Pole Sports Federation (SAPSF) hosted  National Pole & Aerial Championship (NPAC 2023) at the Ferndale Recreation Centre in Johannesburg on 6 and 7 May 2023, as a federation member of the International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF). This year we had a total of 85 athletes competing across Pole Sport, Paraplegic Pole, Ultra Pole, Artistic Pole, Aerial Hoop Sport, and Artistic Aerial Hoop divisions. This year is our largest competition yet. Our athletes represent all levels, ages, genders, and abilities in pole and aerial from across South Africa.  

The IPSF was created in 2009 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to positively promoting pole as an athletic sport and with the long-term goal of becoming part of the Olympic Games. In 2010 the SAPSF became a member federation of the IPSF. The SAPSF is the only federation in the country that is endorsed by the IPSF. The IPSF and the SAPFS are voluntarily run by members. In 2016 the IPSF achieved the first step of the recognition process and became a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) signatory and completed its 4th year of testing with no positive results. In 2017 the IPSF achieved the second step towards its recognition process and was awarded Observer Status of Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) gaining sporting status for pole, documented throughout the world’s media.

Our Elite Sport and Professional Artistic athletes have performed exceptionally well at the World Pole & Aerial Championships. Since 2013, South Africa has had 48 athletes competing on the international stage and brought home 6 gold medals, 6 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals. We also had several top 10 placements over the years. The number of athletes participating in the SAPSF and IPSF championships have increased steadily.

The national championship organized by the South African Pole Sports Federation (SAPSF) presents an opportunity for pole and aerial athletes from South Africa to qualify for the upcoming IPSF world championship, scheduled to take place from 25th to 29th October 2023 in Kielce, Poland. Our South African team for 2023 comprises 15 athletes, with a diverse age range spanning from 10 to 65 years old. It gives us immense pride to announce that Kaitlin Rawson, an athlete competing in the paraplegic pole division, will be representing our team at the championship. Additionally, we are thrilled to enter the competition with a new record set by Patrick de Jongh in the Artistic Pole Masters 40+ division.

The federation and athletes relies solely on private funding – if any organization is willing to assist with sponsorship – kindly contact at Amy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.