Three young women hope to further the cause of pole-dancing as a sport by representing Luxembourg at the Benelux pole-dancing championships.

Jenny Liebert, 25, and Jorgette Neves, 28, both teachers at Flirty Fitness along with pupil Aureliane Hardy, 19, will swing into action at the contest in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 28.

There, they will face down some tough competition from 13 other contenders, who have been training for several years to perfect their skills.

Judges will not be looking for the sultry, seductive moves punters are like to find in seedy bars however. Far from being a sensual competition, the panel will judge entrants based on their gymnastic abilities, their dance techniques and their technical skill.

Jenny Liebert, who runs Flirty Fitness, said : "The competition is not about sensuality, it's about the performance. Anything too emotional is banned. The organisers want pole-dancing to be recognised as a sport so it's meant to be strictly artistic and about skill."

Pole-dancing as a sport may still be in its infancy but it is gaining momentum. It now has its own world federation and last year saw Luxembourg make its debut in international competitions when Jenny took part in the French championships. The dance teacher and entrepreneur came fifth out of 10 contenders and she is confident she will see results in Antwerp.

She said: "The level will be pretty high with European champion Anka Venselaar taking part. I think that we have a strong team. I can't say that I've been training as much as i would have liked because of work commitments. Aureliane has been doing pole dancing for about two and a half years now. She's very promising and has been working very hard. She's definitely one of my best students. I think that we're going to be ready when we need to be."

Flirty Fitness, which opened its doors in Feburary 2010, was Luxembourg's first venue to teach pole-dancing. For information, visit www.flirtyfitnessclub.com

Images by Steve Eastwood