Quick answer: competitive cheerleading, represented internationally by the International Cheer Union, has pursued formal recognition from the International Olympic Committee as part of establishing the sport's standing alongside other internationally governed sports. Recognition is a staged process, and cheerleading is not currently part of the Olympic programme itself.
What Olympic Recognition Actually Means
International Olympic Committee recognition is a formal status granted to a sport's international governing body, distinct from a sport actually being included in the Olympic Games. Recognition generally reflects that a sport has an established, standardised international governance structure - it's a meaningful institutional milestone, but not the same as Olympic inclusion.
Why Cheerleading Pursued This
For a sport as widely practised as competitive cheer, with national federations, standardised levels and international competitions already in place through the International Cheer Union, formal recognition represents an important step toward being treated on an equal institutional footing with other internationally governed sports.
Where Things Currently Stand
Cheerleading has made progress through stages of this recognition process, but is not currently part of the Olympic Games programme. Recognition status and any further steps toward Olympic inclusion are actively evolving, and are best confirmed directly from the International Cheer Union or International Olympic Committee's own current materials rather than treated as fixed.
Why This Matters for the Sport
Regardless of Olympic status, formal recognition efforts have generally pushed competitive cheer's governing bodies toward greater standardisation of levels, rules and scoring internationally - part of the same broader trend covered in How Did Competitive Cheer Develop?.
A Note on Dates and Sources
Recognition status is a live, changing topic. For the current, accurate status, check the International Cheer Union's or International Olympic Committee's own official materials directly rather than relying on any single secondary source, including this page - see our sources page.