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
02 April 2020 - Official Communication 
The International World Games Association (IWGA) announced that The World Games will be rescheduled and will now be held from 7 to 17 July 2022. The decision was approved by the member Federations of IWGA on the programme of the Games in Birmingham, AL, USA, via a videoconference call. From the IWGA release:
“The International World Games Association (IWGA) and Birmingham Organising Committee (BOC) have agreed to postpone the 11th edition of The World Games until 7th to 17th July 2022. The Games had originally been planned to take place from 15–25 July next year.
The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to move the Tokyo Olympic Games to July 2021 made a significant impact on the planning of The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. Keeping to the original dates in July 2021 would have meant excluding many athletes and officials involved in the Olympics, and would have led to a potential reduction in public and media interest. When the IOC announced its decision, the BOC urgently set about assessing what alternative dates might be viable, particularly as regards venues and accommodation. Meanwhile, the staff of the IWGA were establishing when the vital services provided by key partners, such as Swiss Timing and International Sports Broadcasting, could still be made available.
It soon became clear that only one 10-day period existed in which venues, accommodation and key partner support could be guaranteed: 7–17 July 2022. The IWGA Member Federations with sports on the programme gave their full support to delaying The World Games, and the joint decision of the IWGA and BOC Boards to adopt these new dates was unanimously approved by the federations in a video conference”.
“WFDF is very supportive of the decision to reschedule The World Games, a decision that was unanimously approved by the member federations with sports on TWG Programme,” commented WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch, who represented WFDF during this decision-making videoconference. “We are very grateful to the the Birmingham Organizing Committee (BOC), the IWGA Executive Committee and their staff, and all partners of IWGA including the Sports Broadcaster ISB and SwissTiming, to allow for such a speedy decision to be taken. This will now enable WFDF and its member associations to analyze and determine further adjustments to our plans for the 2021 and 2022 event calendars.”
Added Volker Bernardi, WFDF Executive Director and member of the IWGA Executive Committee: “We have to thank the BOC under the leadership of CEO Nick Sellers and the IWGA Executive Committee supported by the IWGA staff for dealing with the current crisis and making such a speedy decision. This announcment ends all uncertainty and speculation and gives great credibility to IWGA as an organisation and The World Games as a Multisport Games event. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues within the IWGA Executive Committee and particularly the IWGA staff for their great support and hard work during this process, and the BOC for being incredibly supportive in making a decision which I fully believe benefits all stakeholders.”
WFDF is also pleased to report that the IWGA President, Spaniard José Perurena-Lopez, is recovering from his COVID-19 infection and we wish him all the best with a full and rapid recovery in these difficult times.”
You can read the full Press Release issued by IWGA here. 24 March 2020 - Official Communication
Health and safety concerns due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outweigh all other factors
After consultation with medical experts and the various Tournament Organizing Committees (TOCs), the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) today announced that it is cancelling or postponing all scheduled world championship events for at least the next six months of 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. This decision takes into consideration first and foremost the safety and health of WFDF athletes, in addition to the uncertainties around the spread of this disease, and resulted after extensive deliberations this last weekend among the Executive Committee of WFDF’s board, staff, and WFDF Medical Officer, Dr. Jamie Nuwer. This decision will affect the following events, at minimum: the WFDF 2020 World Ultimate & Guts Championships (11-18 July in the Netherlands), the WFDF 2020 World Junior Ultimate Championships (18-25 July in Sweden), and the WFDF 2020 World Masters Ultimate Championships (5-12 September in Australia).
“We regret having to take this extraordinary decision, but the health and safety of our athletes, team support, volunteers, staff, and spectators is our paramount concern,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “We know that this decision will disappoint many athletes who have been extensively training for these competitions, but it is difficult to imagine moving forward given the current environment of border shutdowns, individual lockdowns, and other exceptional governmental actions. We appreciate the understanding of our incredible TOCs who have been working on these events for the last three years. Further, WFDF appreciates all of the medical personnel around the world, working tirelessly at reducing and eradicating this unprecedented threat, and we are in solidarity with the whole of society to contain the virus.”
WFDF is currently in consultation with the TOCs to discuss alternatives. WFDF Vice President and Chair of the Ultimate Committee, Brian Gisel, stated “We are looking at the possibility of postponing the World Masters Ultimate Championships to September 2021. It may be far more difficult to postpone to next year either the World Junior Ultimate Championships or the World Ultimate & Guts Championships, given the already crowded summer schedule featuring The World Games, World Under-24 Ultimate Championships, and the World Championships of Beach Ultimate. We are considering the possibility of a smaller event toward year-end that could serve as a qualifying event for The World Games, which are being held 15-25 July 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. We will continue to evaluate the rearrangement of the WFDF schedule, and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.”
With regard to team fees and player fees that have already been paid, WFDF is instructing the TOCs to use all unspent funds or prepaid amounts that can be reclaimed from the vendors and suppliers of the events in order to reimburse teams and players, to the extent possible. WFDF appreciates the patience of the teams and athletes as the TOCs work through this complex process over the coming month. We ask the teams to follow instructions supplied via email on the appropriate channels to ask questions and seek information, instead of emailing the TOCs or WFDF directly.
Nothing is more important to WFDF than the health and safety of its athletes, staff, and spectators. WFDF continues to observe the precautions and practices recommended by public health experts. We encourage the entire Flying Disc community to follow the advice of your local authorities as to best practices in this difficult situation, and refer you to the World Health Organization for definitive guidance: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public WFDF sends its best wishes to all individuals and communities that are affected by Covid-19.
WFDF will provide additional updates as new information develops. 20 March 2020 - Official Communication
Consideration of the impact from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) and its rapid spread around the world, WFDF released an official statement on 4 March regarding the impact of the pandemic on its world championship events scheduled for the coming months. As of 19 March 2020, WFDF remains fully committed to holding the 2020 events – WUGC, WJUC and WMUC – as scheduled.
There are two major events scheduled to take place in Europe in July: the WFDF 2020 World Ultimate & Guts Championships (11-18 July in Netherlands) and the WFDF 2020 World Junior Ultimate Championships (18-25 July in Sweden). The WFDF 2020 World Masters Ultimate Championships is to be held in September in Australia.
05 March 2020 - Official Communication
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) in China and the high number of cases across Asia and its spreading to other parts of the world, the Executive Committee of the WFDF Board of Directors and WFDF staff members held a meeting this last weekend with WFDF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jamie M. Nuwer to evaluate the impact of this situation on the upcoming WFDF World Ultimate 2020 events (WUGC, WJUC and WMUC).
There are two major events scheduled to take place in Europe in July: the WFDF 2020 World Ultimate & Guts Championships (11-18 July in Netherlands) and the WFDF 2020 World Junior Ultimate Championships (18-25 July in Sweden). The WFDF 2020 World Masters Ultimate Championships is to be hosted in September in Australia.
22 February 2020 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is pleased to announce that WFDF and BULA have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding for the two-year period 2020-2021. Both WFDF and BULA wish to continue a working arrangement to their mutual benefit and for the benefit of the Beach Ultimate Community. The MoU outlines the ways that WFDF and BULA will continue to support the growth and development of the sport and cooperate with each other in these efforts while WFDF will be fully assuming the organization of World and Continental National Team Championships in order to standardize event organization.
“WFDF and BULA have been formally working together since 2011 to promote the growth and development of the discipline of Beach Ultimate,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “Beach Ultimate has experienced tremendous growth and we are both committed to work to see that continue.”
21 February 2020 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) has approved Universe Point as the WFDF Official Footwear Supplier and Partner for 2020-2023, after a competitive bidding process that was held in late 2019. This exclusive agreement will run for four years beginning in January 2020 and Universe Point will be granted exclusive sales rights at WFDF sanctioned events.
“We are delighted to award Universe Point the official footwear supplier contract again after a successful relationship over the last couple years,” said WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “They identified the marketplace need for Ultimate cleats designed specifically for Ultimate athletes. Their footwear is winning acclaim at every level of our sport and their partnership support will assist us as we continue to grow Ultimate and all Flying Disc sports.”
21 January 2020 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) has released a new version of the Appendix to the Rules of Ultimate 2017. The new version came into effect as of 1 January 2020.
These rules will be used for all WFDF Ultimate Events in 2020, including the upcoming World Ultimate and Guts Championships, World Junior Ultimate Championships, and World Masters Ultimate Championships. Non-WFDF event organizers may also choose to use these rules for their events.
These are the main changes for version 4.0:
● Change the name of the "Men's" Division to the "Open" Division
● Adjustments to the seeding and bids process
● Changes to offside penalties
● New hand signals for "4 Men" and "4 Women" (Updated hand signals will be released later in 2020)
● Direction on how photographic or video footage should be used
● Guidance on how to deal with dangerous plays
● Changes to receiving fouls for contact that occurs after a block
The new appendix can be found here.
08 January 2020 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) has nominated Finland’s Disc Golf team in the annual World Games Athlete of the Year competition. The award honors an athlete or a team for their outstanding performance in 2019 or for their social commitment or particularly fair behavior. We direct everyone to the following site and voting for “Flying Disc – Team Finland” at https://www.theworldgames.org/awards/Athlete-of-the-Year-2019-70.
Team Finland, one of 25 candidates for the award this year, defeated Germany to win the WFDF World Team Disc Golf Championships in Alutaguse, Estoniain August 2019. The eight-person mixed squad did not lose a match at the championships and this victory catapulted Finland to the top of WFDF’s world Disc Golf country rankings at year end 2019.
07 January 2020 - Official Communication
WFDF announced today the results of its 2019 elections, with the WFDF member associations voting on several open positions on the Board of Directors.
Kate Bergeron (USA) was re-elected as Treasurer, Brian Gisel (CAN) re-elected as Ultimate Committee Chair, Lori Daniels (USA) elected as Freestyle Committee Chair, and Wolfgang Maehr (SGP) elected as SOTG Committee Chair.
For the continental associations, Nicole Bulos (DOM) was elected President for Pan America and Fumio “Moro” Morooka (JPN) re-elected to represent Asia-Oceania.
Shiellah Quintos was elected as chair of the Events Subcommittee of the Ultimate Committee. All of the above will serve a two year term from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021.
In addition, Liam Grant (IRL) was appointed by the board to serve out the remaining year of the term of the Chair of the Athletes' Commission.
The complete Press Release with results and biographies can be found here. 07 January 2020 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) ended the decade by bringing together the Ultimate community for the annual International Spirit of the Game Day celebrations. More than 500 activities from at least 34 countries were held across the world on December 7 in honor of Spirit of the Game, a core and guiding element of the sports of Ultimate and Guts.
Participants were encouraged to share their love of Spirit of the Game on social media by posting about their events or sharing artwork on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Submissions came in the form of videos, articles, drawings, and more. More than 20 international vendors partnered with WFDF to offer merchandise as part of the festivities.
“The players, teams and organizations that supported these international activities —and the 21 vendors who supplied prizes this year —understand there’s so much more to Spirit of the Game than simply sportsmanship,” said Travis F. Smith, outgoing chair of the WFDF SOTG Committee. “iSOTG Day is our community’s annual opportunity to explore how Spirit of the Game can be better expressed and improved. Each year I’m blown away seeing how many people care so intensely about Spirit and its central role in disc sport.”
More information can be found on the official website of the event: http://www.spiritofthegameday.org/
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