World Flying Disc Federation
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The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is the international governing body for flying disc sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records. WFDF is a federation of member associations which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in 114 countries. The organization holds recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee, and is a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), GAISF, and the International World Games Association (IWGA). WFDF operates as a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, U.S.[1]
Membership
WFDF was formed in 1985 as a not-for-profit corporation and has member associations representing flying disc sports in countries across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and South America. The federation has distinguishes three categories of membership: national members, provisional members and associate members.
National members are defined as: flying disc associations that is the governing body for Disc Games solely within a single national boundary.[2]
To be approved as a national member by WFDF, an organization must:
- Be organized with bylaws acceptable to WFDF;
- Operate under the rules, policies, and programs which are in compliance with all agreements to which WFDF is a party;
- Be open to participation without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, politics, sex, or sexual orientation;
- Represent a minimum of 50 individual disc players who are members of its organization (“Constituents”) in one or more Disc Sports;
- Hold an annual meeting and/or have another representative mechanism for its Constituents to elect a board of directors;
- Fairly represent the interests of Constituents for all Disc Games within the country; and
- Pay dues to WFDF as established by the Congress, and report annually regarding the number of its Constituents per the requirements as established by the Board of Directors (the “Census”).[2]
Provisional members are those flying disc associations that function as the governing body for all all disc games within a national boundary but are yet to meet the criteria outlined by WFDF to be a National Member.[2]
Associate members are those with ties to disc sports but are not national governing bodies. They may include not-for-profit organizations that provide services to disc sports or which represent particular disc sports organizations.[2]
Members by regions
There are currently 122 members (96 national members and 26 provisional members) and two associate members, each belonging to their respective continental associations.[3]
Continental associations are the central organizing bodies recognized by WFDF for disc sport events and promotion within a region continental region. These associations are responsible for coordinating matters of common interest of the members of their continent with WFDF.[4]
| Number | Region | Countries (regular and provisional members) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africa | 15+4=19 |
| 2 | Asia-Pacific | 23+9=32 |
| 3 | Europe | 40+6=46 |
| 4 | Americas | 18+7=25 |
| Total | World | 122 |
African Flying Disc Federation (AAFDF)
There are 15 WFDF regular members and 4 provisional members in Africa:[5]
Regular members:
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Provisional members:
- Template:Flagicon Kenya - Kenya Flying Disc Association
- Template:Flagicon Malawi - Malawi Flying Disc Federation
- Template:Flagicon Rwanda - Rwanda Ultimate Frisbee Association
- Template:Flagicon Tanzania - Tanzanian Flying Disc Association
Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation (AOFDF)
There are 26 WFDF national members and 9 provisional members in Asia and Oceania:[6]
National members:
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Provisional members:
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European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF) and European Ultimate Federation (EUF)
There are 40 WFDF national members, 4 provisional members, and 2 suspended members in Europe:[7]
National members:
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Provisional members:
- Template:Flagicon Armenia - Armenian National Frisbee Federation
- Template:Flagicon Bulgaria - Bulgarian Flying Disc Federation
- Template:Flagicon Croatia - Croatian Flying Disc Federation
- Template:Flagicon Moldova - Moldovan Flying Disc Federation
- Template:Flagicon Romania - Romanian Flying Disc Association
Suspended members:
- Template:Flagicon Belarus - Belarusian Flying Disc Federation
- Template:Flagicon Russia - Russian Flying Disc Federation
Pan American Flying Disc Federation (PAFDF)
There are 17 WFDF national members and 7 provisional members in the Americas:[8]
National members:
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Provisional members:
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History
Flying disc sport rose with the invention of plastic and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. The early years of international flying disc play were dominated by the influence of the International Frisbee Association (IFA) which was founded by Ed Headrick in 1967 as the promotional arm of the Wham-O Manufacturing Company. Many of the international affiliates began as Wham-O distributorships that sponsored tours of well-known Frisbee athletes. Several groups of individual disc event stars like Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner touring Canada in 1972.[9][10] The brothers Jens and Erwin Velasquez and the team of Peter Bloeme and Dan "Stork" Roddick made several tours of Scandinavia and the rest of Europe in the mid-1970s; Jo Cahow and Stork went to Australia and Japan in 1976 and Victor Malafronte and Monica Lou toured Japan around the same time. Stork—starting as head of the sports marketing arm of the U.S.-based Wham-O in 1975—played a crucial role in encouraging the establishment of national flying disc associations (FDAs) in Sweden, Japan, Australia, and in many of the countries of Western Europe. The FDAs began with freestyle and accuracy competitions but as Ultimate and disc golf caught on, the associations began to broaden their focus.[11]
The concept of an independent world organization for the development and coordination of all of the disc disciplines began in 1980 at an Atlanta, Georgia, meeting of 40 international disc organizers. A loose federation led by Jim Powers was formed from that meeting but never took off. The following year, the relatively well-established national flying disc associations of Europe formed the European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF). In 1983 Wham-O was sold to Kransco and the IFA was disbanded. Spurred on by the demise of the IFA, Stork called a meeting at the US Open Overall Championships in La Mirada, California. A plan was presented by Charlie Mead of England and a formal decision was made to establish a worldwide disc association in Örebro, Sweden during the 1984 European Overall Championships. This decision was confirmed later that year by other flying disc countries in Lucerne, Switzerland, during the World Ultimate and Guts Championships, and thus the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) was born.
The first WFDF Congress was held in Helsingborg, Sweden in July 1985, where the first set of statutes was adopted and the first board was elected. The first president was Charlie Mead (England), the first secretary Johan Lindgren (Sweden) and the first treasurer Brendan Nolan (Ireland). Membership was composed of the national flying disc associations and US-oriented organizations such as the Ultimate Players Association, Freestyle Players Associations, and Guts Players Association. Committees were established to oversee international play and rules for each of the disc disciplines. Over the remainder of the 1980s, WFDF took on an increasing role in overseeing and promoting international disc tournaments with Stork as president and Lindgren as secretary-treasurer.
In 1992, Robert L. "Nob" Rauch was elected President of WFDF and Juha Jalovaara become chair of the Ultimate Committee. Over the next two years, WFDF was reorganized to better reflect the increasing growth of Ultimate and the diversity of WFDF's membership. The disc committee structure was simplified into a broad category of team sports (Ultimate and Guts) and individual events (golf and the overall disciplines). The role of the Rules Committee was expanded, headed by Stork, to ensure consistency and an annual rules book was printed. With a variety of representation, the categories of membership were further defined, with national associations able to join as regular, associate, or provisional (non-paying) members depending on level of participation and resources. WFDF's corporate standing was reorganized and incorporated in Colorado, obtaining US tax-exempt status. WFDF, with a fairly nominal budget, found help with the increasing use of e-mail that permitted reasonable communication and coordination. In 1994, the application to join the International World Games Association (IWGA)—championed by Fumio "Moro" Morooka of Japan—was prepared and eventually accepted by the IWGA leading to Ultimate's participation in the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan, and in each of the subsequent competitions.
In May 2013, under the leadership WFDF President Robert L. "Nob" Rauch, WFDF was granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee and it is now one of 42 sports that are members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.
Due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, WFDF canceled all its world championship events in both 2020 and 2021. It is planning to recommence world championship events in Ultimate, Beach ultimate, Disc Golf, and Overall in 2022, and to participate in The World Games championships in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. in July 2022 that had been postponed from 2021.
Disciplines
Team Sports
Ultimate
Ultimate is WFDF's largest and most widely played discipline, contested by mixed-gender, open, and women’s teams of seven players on a rectangular field. The sport includes several variants:
- Outdoor Ultimate - The traditional 7-on-7 format played on grass fields
- Indoor Ultimate - Modified rules for gymnasium play
- Beach Ultimate - Played on sand with reduced team sizes and modified field dimensions
Ultimate governance has been part of WFDF since its founding in 1985. The discipline is featured in The World Games and is considered WFDF's flagship sport for potential Olympic inclusion.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Guts
Guts is a fast-paced team sport where opposing teams attempt to throw a disc past their opponents at high velocity. Players must catch or deflect throws to prevent scoring.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Individual Disciplines
Disc Golf
Disc golf involves throwing specialized discs toward elevated metal baskets in the fewest throws possible, similar to traditional golf. It is one of the fastest-growing flying disc sports and features in The World Games.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Freestyle
Freestyle is an artistic discipline where individuals or pairs perform choreographed routines involving creative catches, throws, and manipulations of the disc judged on technical skill, artistic impression, and difficulty.
Field Events
Field events comprise several individual accuracy and distance disciplines:
- Distance - Maximum throwing distance competition
- Accuracy - Throwing precision at designated targets
- Self Caught Flight (SCF) - Combination of distance and catching ability
- Discathon - Distance running event while throwing and catching a disc These events are contested in the Overall competition format.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Overall
The Overall competition combines multiple individual disciplines to crown the most complete flying disc athlete. Competitors participate in distance, accuracy, freestyle, and other events with rankings determined by cumulative performance.
Double Disc Court
Double Disc Court is a discipline where two teams simultaneously throw two discs at each other across parallel courts, attempting to cause the opposing team to drop or fail to throw a disc.
International events
- World Ultimate Championships
- World Under-24 Ultimate Championships
- World Junior Ultimate Championships
- World Beach Ultimate Championships
Presidents
| Name | Nationality | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Mead | Template:Flag-ultimate | 1985 | 1986 |
| Daniel "Stork" Roddick | Template:Flag-ultimate | 1987 | 1991 |
| Robert L. "Nob" Rauch | Template:Flag-ultimate | 1992 | 1994 |
| Bill Wright | Template:Flag-ultimate | 1995 | 2004 |
| Juha Jalovaara | Template:Flag-ultimate | 2005 | 2008 |
| Jonathan Potts | Template:Flag-ultimate | 2009 | 2010 |
| Robert L. "Nob" Rauch | Template:Flag-ultimate | 2011 | Present |
Events and Event results
WFDF organizes and sanctions world championship events across multiple flying disc disciplines, serving as the premier international competitions for each sport. The federation's championship structure includes both national team and club team competitions, with events held on rotating cycles to accommodate the global flying disc community.
Ultimate Championships
WFDF conducts several categories of Ultimate world championships:
World Ultimate and Guts Championships (WUGC)
The World Ultimate and Guts Championships feature national teams competing in Ultimate and Guts disciplines. Held every four years, WUGC represents the highest level of international competition, with teams qualifying through continental championships. The event includes Open (Men's), Women's, Mixed, Masters, and Junior divisions for Ultimate, alongside Open and Women's Guts competitions.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., 23–31 July 2022
| Year 2022 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze | Spirit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | New York PoNY Template:Flagicon | Raleigh Ring of Fire Template:Flagicon | Clapham Template:Flagicon | Tokyo Buzz Bullets JapanScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Women's | Medellín Revolution Template:Flagicon | SF Fury Template:Flagicon | Raleigh Phoenix Template:Flagicon | Tokyo MUD JapanScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Mixed | Seattle Mixtape Template:Flagicon | Vancouver Red Flag Template:Flagicon | Brisbane Lunchbox Template:Flagicon | Colorado GermanyScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., 14–21 July 2018
| Year 2018 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | SF Revolver Template:Flagicon | Sydney Colony Template:Flagicon | Toronto GOAT Template:Flagicon | Austin Doublewide Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Seattle Riot Template:Flagicon | Medellín Revolution Template:Flagicon | Boston Brute Squad Template:Flagicon | Denver Molly Brown Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Seattle BFG Template:Flagicon | Boston Slow White Template:Flagicon | Philadelphia AMP Template:Flagicon | Boston Wild Card Template:Flagicon |
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 29 July - 4 August 2018
| Year 2018 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Men | Boneyard Template:Flagicon | All Bashed Out Template:Flagicon | Johnny Encore Template:Flagicon |
| Masters Women | iRot Template:Flagicon | Mu-Syozoku Template:Flagicon | Ripe Template:Flagicon |
| Masters Mixed | Molasses Disaster Template:Flagicon | 512 Template:Flagicon | SF Bridge Club Template:Flagicon |
| Grandmasters Men | Johnny Walker Template:Flagicon | Surly Template:Flagicon | Tombstone Template:Flagicon |
Lecco, Italy, 2–9 August 2014
| Year 2014 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Revolver Template:Flagicon | Sockeye Template:Flagicon | Johnny Bravo Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Seattle Riot Template:Flagicon | Fury Template:Flagicon | Scandal Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Drag'n Thrust Template:Flagicon | Polar Bears Template:Flagicon | The Ghosts Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Boneyard Template:Flagicon | FIGJAM Template:Flagicon | Johnny Encore Template:Flagicon |
| Women's Masters | Vintage Template:Flagicon | Godiva Template:Flagicon | Golden Girls Template:Flagicon |
Prague, Czech Republic, 3–10 July 2010
| Year 2010 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Revolver Template:Flagicon | Sockeye Template:Flagicon | Buzz Bullets Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Fury Template:Flagicon | UNO Template:Flagicon | Seattle Riot Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Chad Larson Experience Template:Flagicon | ONYX Template:Flagicon | Mental Toss Flycoons Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Troubled Past Template:Flagicon | Surly Template:Flagicon | Eastern Greys Template:Flagicon |
Perth, Australia, 11–18 November 2006
| Year 2006 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Buzz Bullets Template:Flagicon | Thong Template:Flagicon | Chilly Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | MUD Template:Flagicon | UNO Template:Flagicon | Huck Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Team Fisher Price Template:Flagicon | Brass Monkey Template:Flagicon | Slow White and the Seven Dwarfs Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Vigi Template:Flagicon | One Last Ditch Shot at Glory Template:Flagicon | Eastern Greys Template:Flagicon |
Honolulu, US, 4–10 August 2002
| Year 2002 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Condors Template:Flagicon | Death Or Glory Template:Flagicon | Sockeye Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Seattle Riot Template:Flagicon | Ozone Template:Flagicon | Lady Godiva Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Donner Party Template:Flagicon | Hang Time | Trigger Hippy |
| Masters | KWA | Skeleton Crew | Old And in the Way |
St. Andrews, Scotland, 12–20 August 1999
| Year 1999 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | DoG Template:Flagicon | Liquidisc Template:Flagicon | Condors Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Women on the Verge Template:Flagicon | Schwa Template:Flagicon | Spirals Template:Flagicon |
| Mixed | Red Fish Blue Fish Template:Flagicon | Osaka Nato Template:Flagicon | RippIT Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Cigar Template:Flagicon | Return of the Red Eye Template:Flagicon | Tempus Fugit Template:Flagicon |
Vancouver Canada, 27 July – 2 August 1997
| Year 1997 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Sockeye Template:Flagicon | Double Happiness Template:Flagicon | Furious George Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Women on the Verge Template:Flagicon | Schwa Template:Flagicon | Lady Godiva Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Beyonders Template:Flagicon | Tempus Fugit Template:Flagicon | Gamecock Template:Flagicon |
Millfield United Kingdom, 22–29 July 1995
| Year 1995 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Double Happiness Template:Flagicon | DoG Template:Flagicon | NYC Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Women on the Verge Template:Flagicon | Ozone Template:Flagicon | Red Lights Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Seven Sages Template:Flagicon | Gummibears Template:Flagicon | Princeton Alumni Template:Flagicon |
Madison, Wisconsin US, 24–31 July 1993
| Year 1993 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | New York Ultimate Template:Flagicon | Double Happiness Template:Flagicon | Rhino Slam! Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Maine-iacs Template:Flagicon | Lady Godiva Template:Flagicon | Women on the Verge Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Seven Sages Template:Flagicon | Hapa Haolies Template:Flagicon | Rude Boys Template:Flagicon |
Toronto Canada, 22–28 July 1991
| Year 1991 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | New York Template:Flagicon | First Time Gary Template:Flagicon | Windy City Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Maine-iacs Template:Flagicon | Lady Godiva Template:Flagicon | Lady Condors Template:Flagicon |
| Masters | Three Stages Template:Flagicon | Third Coast Ultimate Template:Flagicon | Mo' Better Masters Template:Flagicon |
Cologne Germany, 26–30 July 1989
| Year 1989 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Philmore Template:Flagicon | Elvis Template:Flagicon | Looney Tunes Template:Flagicon |
| Women's | Lady Condors Template:Flagicon | Smithereens Template:Flagicon | Stenungsunds FC Template:Flagicon |
International World Games Ultimate Championship
Kaohsiung Taiwan, 19–21 July 2009
Template:Gold1 United States
Template:Silver2 Japan
Template:Bronze3 Australia
WFDF 2009 World Overall Flying Disc championships
Jacksonville, Florida, 9–12 July 2009
Open Division
Template:Gold1 Conrad Damon – United States
Template:Silver2 Jack Cooksey – United States
Template:Bronze3 Harvey Brandt – United States
Women's Division
Template:Gold1 Mary Lowry – United States
Template:Silver2 Stina Persson – SWE
Template:Bronze3 Marygrace Sorrentino – United States
WFDF World Ultimate and Guts Championship (WUGC)
Gold Coast, Australia, 31 August – 7 September 2024 [12]
| 2024 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Women's | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Mixed | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Guts Open | Template:Flag-ultimate #1 | Template:Flag-ultimate #1 | Template:Flag-ultimate #2 |
| Guts Women's | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate #1 |
London, Great Britain, 18–25 June 2016
Sakai, Japan, 7–14 July 2012
| 2012 | Template:Gold1 Gold | Template:Silver2 Silver | Template:Bronze3 Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Women's | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Mixed | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Open Masters | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Women's Masters | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate |
| Guts | Template:Flag-ultimate (Red) | Template:Flag-ultimate | Template:Flag-ultimate (White) |
Vancouver, Canada, 2–9 August 2008
Turku, Finland, 1–7 August 2004
Heilbronn, Germany, 12–20 August 2000
Blaine, Minnesota, US, 15–22 August 1998
Jönköping, Sweden, 10–17 August 1996
Colchester, United Kingdom, 21–28 August 1994
Utsunomiya, Japan, 17–23 August 1992
Oslo, Norway, 8–14 July 1990
Leuven, Belgium, 29 August – 3 September 1988
Colchester, United Kingdom, 25–31 August 1986
Lucerne, Switzerland, 2–9 September 1984
Gothenburg, Sweden, 29 August – 3 September 1983
See also
Sources
- WFDF Rankings Page
- WFDF Disc Ultimate World Rankings
- WUCC 2010
- World Championship Results
- World Club Championship Results
References
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- ↑ Further information: African Flying Disc Federation website
- ↑ Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation website
- ↑ European Flying Disc Federation website
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Note: In 1972 Ken and Jim were retained by Irwin Toy ( Frisbee distributing licensee ) to perform at special community and sporting events across Canada.
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External links
- Official website
- SportAccord
- International World Games AssociationTemplate:Category handler[<span title="Script error: No such module "string".">usurped]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- USA Ultimate
- Professional Disc Golf Association
- Freestyle Players Association
- European Flying Disc Federation
- Ultimate Canada
- European Ultimate Federation