Here's what Grant said:
That is the goal. The entire organization, on the international level, is geared toward that end. We are a sport federation actually. Just like the IOC sports are. We are the national designate for the USA. Each country has a representive organization like the USAA. The competitor are subject to the same controls that an olympic athlete would face. We have defined rules and anti doping testing (testing generally is reserved for international competition and World Records). It is very expensive. We could perform testing at the NAtionals if we wanted to. It is $500 a test. So, maybe when we are a bit larger. I plan on trying to see if one of the labs might want to sponsor us for that or a doctor.
So, more to your question. To be considered for the Olympics, we have to have representation from a certain number of member countries. I do not remember how many that is. AIDA, which is the International Association for the Development of Apnea, our international governing body, would need to have members from more countries. So, really the idea that freediving be an Olympic sport really depends on you and I. We need to help grow freedivings popularity so that more people and countries want to be involved. Once that happens, we can go to the IOC and ask to be included in the Olympics. The other option is for a host country to demand that freediving be included as a demonstration sport. So, based on popularity in a host country that might work, but that would only have freediving in one games. Plus, it would be a no metal situation. But, anything is a good thing. Freediving is not a new sport in the fact that people have been doing it for a long time. It is a new sport in the larger picture of the world and organization. There has only been a coordinated single voice effort on the internation level for the last eight years. Before that it was highly specialized and individual.
So, this is an exciting time. You are in on the ground floor of and an exciting sport that will continue to grow. It is also very cool because you can continue to particpate till you are very old often times at a very competitive level. Also, you could very well see it a s a part of the Olympics of the X Games before the end of the decade.