World Flying Disc Federation Receives Recognition by the International Olympic Committee
31 May 2013
The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided on Friday the 31st of May 2013 to grant the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) provisional IOC recognition during their meeting in St Petersburg (Russia). WFDF serves as the international sports governing body of all flying disc sports.
“WFDF welcomes this recognition to join the Olympic family and we confirm the commitment of the flying disc community to the ideals set out in the Olympic Charter,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “Our strong value of “spirit of the game” on the field of play and off of it has always reflected these principles. We thank the IOC Executive Board and administration for their support and encouragement, and our Member Associations, board of directors, and athletes for their enthusiasm and commitment to this process.”
The International Olympic Committee in its formal release stated "The EB (Executive Board) has granted provisional recognition to the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) after the International Federation fulfilled all the criteria of the IOC recognition procedure. The EB noted that the WFDF is a rapidly growing Federation with tremendous youth appeal, a strong grounding in Olympic ideals, gender equality and good governance, including WADA compliance. The EB welcomes the Federation into the Olympic family."
"This recognition by the IOC today is a very important milestone for flying disc sports, and should greatly support our grass roots development programs in countries around the world, opening the door for our members to seek their own National Olympic Committee recognition,” commented Rauch further. “However, this is just the start of a long journey as we look to further develop disc sports and fulfill all the criteria stipulated by the IOC so that one day we will have a product which is equal to the current sports of the Olympic Games in both sports excellence and commercial interest.” WFDF joins 33 other international sports federations that are recognized by the IOC but are not currently a part of the Olympic sports program.
The World Flying Disc Federation (“WFDF”) serves as the international governing body of all flying disc sports. Since WFDF was founded in 1985, the development of the sport has been quite rapid and Ultimate and the other disc disciplines today are some of the fastest growing sports in the world, due to the simplicity of the basic rules, the speed of the game, its self-officiation, and its appeal with youth and across gender lines. WFDF estimates that there are currently 7.5 million active participants globally across the various disciplines, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Disc Golf, Freestyle, Guts and Field Events. WFDF today represents 59 member associations in 56 countries. WFDF was approved as a member of GAISF (now SportAccord) and the International World Games Association in 1995, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) registered corporation in the State of Colorado, USA, and it is a signatory of the WADA World Anti-Doping code.
Latest WFDF Communiques
25 November 2019 - Official Communication 
Update follows WFDF 2019 Pan American Ultimate Championships, EUF 2019 European Youth Ultimate Championships and EUF 2019 European Masters Championships.
The World Flying Disc Federation today released the updated World Ultimate Rankings. These country rankings are based on the finishing positions of teams at the most recent WFDF World and Continental Ultimate events:
21 November 2019 - Official Communication
WFDF is gearing up for the 6th annual International Spirit of the Game Day, which will take place on Saturday, 7 December 2019. This year, the day's theme is “Spirit of the Game — It’s Not Just High Fives!” iSOTG Day, organized by the World Flying Disc Federation in partnership with the charitable organization Early Recognition Is Critical (E.R.I.C.), encourages Ultimate communities around the world to celebrate and reflect on Spirit of the Game, a core and unique element of the sport of Ultimate, by hosting events, clinics and activities where players can discuss and demonstrate good spirit.
Anyone (groups or individuals) can participate in iSOTG Day, and they will get the chance to win prizes from dozens of vendors simply by posting a video, photo, article, etc., on the iSOTG Facebook event , on Instagram, or on Twitter with the hashtag #iSOTGDay. Submissions are open between 29 November and 9 December 2019. The winning submissions will be chosen by members of the WFDF Spirit Committee, E.R.I.C., as well as partner representatives.
06 November 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Board of Directors, Ultimate Committee and Beach Committee are seeking bids from potential host organizers for the upcoming 2021 and 2022 WFDF Championship events.
WFDF will select one (1) Tournament Organizing Committee (TOC) per event to host the following Grass Ultimate & Beach Ultimate events:
· WFDF 2021 All African Ultimate Championships (AAUC)
· WFDF 2021 Asia Oceanic Ultimate and Guts Championships (AOUGC)
· WFDF 2021 Pan American Ultimate Championships (PAUC)
· WFDF 2021 World Beach Ultimate Championships (WBUC)
· WFDF 2021 World Under-24 Ultimate Championships (WU24)
· WFDF 2022 World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC)
· WFDF 2022 World Masters Ultimate Club Championships (WMUCC)
· WFDF 2022 World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC)
03 November 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) Board of Directors has appointed David Raflo of the USA as Interim Beach Ultimate Committee Chair, to replace Karen Cabrera of the Philippines who stepped down for personal reasons. Raflo, who is currently a member of the Beach Ultimate Committee, will serve out the remainder of Cabrera’s term, which extends through December 2020.
31 October 2019 - Official Communication
Overview: WFDF is seeking enthusiastic, skilled and committed candidates for its 2019 Elections. Complete nominations must be received by the Nominating Committee by November 7, 2019. The target date for the start of the elections is November 15, 2019, with a targeted end date of December 15, 2019. Results should be announced by December 31, 2019 subject to confirmation of acceptance by elected candidates.The following positions are open for election for 2-year terms commencing on January 1, 2020 and concluding December 31, 2021.
22 October 2019 - Official Communication
WFDF is looking to appoint an IT Administrator/Consultant to oversee all technology operations and the implementation of new IT systems and policies, as well as supporting WFDF personnel in their day to day technology needs. The ideal candidate will be experienced in creating and implementing IT policies, hardware and software systems, and services that will meet objectives. They would also be able to provide support to WFDF personnel within an agreed service time frame.
The role is to be structured as a part-time consultancy, and applicants can either be individuals or IT firms servicing similar types of clients. The IT Administrator/Consultant would report to the Executive Committee and be given direction by the IT Committee. Applications should be sent to Igor Jankovic at igor.jankovic(at)wfdf.org by no later than Friday, November 1, 2019.
Please find the complete job description here. 08 October 2019 - Official Communication
Finland tops ranking after dominant performance at the WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), in cooperation with the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), is releasing the third edition of its world rankings for Disc Golf by country. Finland has earned the position as the top ranked country in the world after a dominating performance at the 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships (WTDGC), knocking the USA out of the top spot. The USA dropped to fifth place after a disappointing performance at the event. Canada is currently second followed by Estonia and New Zealand.
15 September 2019 - Official Communication 
The Flying Disc Freestyle event of the GAISF World Urban Games (WUG) concluded late Saturday afternoon, 14th September, with the American pair of Emma Kahle and Daniel O'Neill taking the gold medal, besting the first-seeded team of Juliana Korver and Ryan Young of the USA by 1.40 points. Maxine Mittempergher and Edo Turri of Italy won the bronze medal. The inaugural WUG, held 13-15 September in Budapest, included Flying Disc Freestyle as one of six competition sports that were featured, with the others being 3x3 Basketball, BMX freestyle, Breaking, Roller freestyle, and Parkour. The Games took place at the Nagyvásártelep (Market Hall) in the south of Budapest, just 15 minutes from the city center.
14 September 2019 - Official Communication
The first day of competition for Flying Disc Freestyle at the World Urban Games featured all 12 teams competing in two pools of six teams to determine who would advance onto the second round. With only the top four teams advancing from each pool, one drop could cost a team enough points to drop them into the bottom two and end their dream of a gold medal.
Although there were a few minor shuffles among the top four seeded teams in each pool, the team from Poland ended up seed-busting up two places, which knocked the Canadian team just under the cut line. This secured their spot in the second round on Saturday morning.
13 September 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation and its athletes and officials are ready to commence the Flying Disc Freestyle competition at the inaugural World Urban Games (WUG), being held 13-15 September in Budapest. Freestyle Flying Disc is one of six competition sports to be featured, with the others being 3x3 Basketball, BMX freestyle, Breaking, Roller freestyle, and Parkour. The Games will take place at the Nagyvásártelep (Market Hall) in the south of Budapest, just 15 minutes from the city center. The whole area, originally built in the 1930s, is being regenerated specifically for the WUG.
With 24 athletes from nine countries in the competition, the Flying Disc discipline of Freestyle combines aspects of gymnastics and dance with the basic game of throw and catch, and it is one of the most artistic and technically-challenging disciplines in Flying Disc sport. Mixed gender teams of two athletes will perform choreographed routines consisting of throws and catches of varying degrees of difficulty, and moves such as air brushes, nail delays, and triple-spinning catches. Routines will be for three minutes in length and are evaluated by judges who base their scores on the difficulty, artistic impression, and execution of the routine. The team with the highest score wins (70 is a perfect score).
Much of the action will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel at http://www.olympicchannel.com. The schedule is as follows (all times UTC+2, or CET time):
Prelims: Sept. 13 — 14:45-17:15
Semi-finals: Sept. 14 —10:45-12:00
Finals: Sept. 14 — 16:00-16:45
Awards: Sept. 14 — 16:45-7:00
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