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
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
The World Urban Games (WUG) is the ultimate celebration of new-generation sports forged by the spirit of youth. It is a showcase for the skill, style and power of the most inspirational urban athletes on the planet. The World Urban Games comprises a wide-ranging programme of competitive and showcase urban sports complimented by a Festival of youth-focused music, art and culture.
The spirit of Urban Games is the spirit of the age; No compromise on the pursuit of perfection, Creativity in performance, Engagement with audiences and Involvement through the opportunity to experience the various sports, Respect for fellow competitors, and followers, Global Connectivity through digital technology, love of the Lifestyle and care for the Environment.
You can watch all of the livestreaming of Flying Disc Freestyle below. All rounds will be livestreamed on the Olympic Channel.
Preliminary Rounds - 9/13/2019 @ 14:45-17:15 UTC+2
Semi Finals - 9/14/2019 @ 10:45-12:00 UTC+2
Finals - 9/14/2019 @ 16:00-16:45 UTC+2
THE SPORTS PROGRAMME
The World Urban Games Sports Programme consist of competition events, showcase events, and amateur and initiation sessions where the public and the youth can participate. Competition:
10 September 2019 - Official Communication
Finland defeated Germany 8-0to win the 2019 WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships (WTDGC), which were held in Alutaguse, Estonia from 21-24 August 2019. Taking the gold medal had been the ambition for the Finnish team from the beginning of the event — they sent their strongest team and did not lose a match throughout the Championships.
Though the German team played well and pushed the Finns in the final round of games, they came up short but a silver medal was above their level of expectation coming into the event. Seeded seventh and in their first WTDGC, they outperformed all their opponents until this championship round.
04 September 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation is pleased to announce the Freestyle athletes who will compete at the inaugural World Urban Games (WUG), to be held September 13-15 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.
In order to strike a balance of world regional talent, and to field top-quality teams for the WUG competition, the WFDF Freestyle Committee -- in consultation with the Freestyle Players Association -- used the following selection priorities: diversify freestyle athletes to represent as many countries as possible, emphasize youth, utilize the FPA competition rankings, and consider recent competitive success. For WUG, WFDF will featured a mixed gender pairs competition with 12 teams from 9 countries.
The qualifying athletes are:
1. Juliana Korver/Ryan Young (USA)
2. Emma Kahle/Daniel O’Neill (USA)
3. Bianca Strunz/Fabian Dinklage (GER)
4. Ilka Simon/Waldemar Wagner (GER)
5. Maxine Mittempergher/Edo Turri (ITA)
6. Anna Bragagnolo/Andrea Rimatori (ITA)
7. Joakim Arveskar/Vendella Arveskar (SWE)
8. Meirav Pinhas/Yuval Reikoren (ISR)
9. Benedicte Audet/Brett Schramek (CAN)
10. Marysia Ryszarda Krajewska/Kuba Radwanska (POL)
11. Sophie Rickers/Gordon Brown (GBR)
12. Paola Andrea Garcia Palaez/Pablo Azul (COL)
“The WFDF Freestyle community is ecstatic to have this opportunity to present their sport through the inaugural World Urban Games in Budapest,” said Kevin “Skippy Jammer” Givens, WFDF board member and chair of the Freestyle Committee. “Being able to present Freestyle in a multi-sport event has been a long time goal. We look forward to future opportunities for the growth of our sport that participating in this event will catalyze.”
“We are extremely pleased that the Flying Disc sport of Freestyle will be featured on GAISF’s World Urban Games programme as a competition sport,” commented WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “Freestyle is a youthful and modern sport which fits quite well in beautiful Budapest’s urban setting along the Danube. We are excited to showcase the skill and artistry of our athletes and are confident it will be an attractive event for both local spectators and social media audiences.”
WFDF has been promoting Freestyle this year leading up to the WUG. A group of ambassadors traveled to the island of Sal, Cape Verde, to introduce hundreds of young people to Flying Disc Freestyle through demos and workshops, as part of the inaugural African Beach Games, which took place from 14-23 June 2019.
Powered by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), the World Urban Games is set to become the ultimate global showcase for a new generation of urban sports. The WUG is the ultimate celebration of new-generation sports forged by the spirit of youth. It is a showcase for the skill, style and power of the most inspirational urban athletes on the planet. The World Urban Games comprises a wide-ranging program of competitive and showcase urban sports complimented by a Festival of youth-focused music, art and culture. These multi-sport games will be held every two years and will feature a wide range of events.
Competitive 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. Teams of two or three players 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 are typically three to five minutes in length and are evaluated by judges who base their scores on the difficulty (10), artistic impression (10), and execution (10) of the routine. The team with the highest score wins (30 is a perfect score). 21 August 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is pleased to announce that the WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships (WTDGC) opened today. This third edition of the team disc golf championships is being held at Mäetaguse Disc Golf Park in Alutaguse, Estonia, with a participation of 17 countries over four days of competition. The nations represented are Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia, Spain and the United States.
The WTDGC event will feature four divisions (Open, Women’s, Master’s and Junior) with teams consisting of a minimum of 6 players with a team having the option to bring up to 12 players. Teams will compete in multiple competition matchplay formats throughout the Event with each round including players seeded within their team. WFDF’s premier Disc Golf event includes 142 registered players with 102 contesting each match. A total number of 256 matches is played with 336 rounds on the front-nine eagle course and back-nine bear course, and 432 on the full 18
16 August 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is pleased to announce that it has published a report of the results of the third edition of the Global Disc Sports Community survey. The first one was launched in February 2014 and the survey was designed to gather input from athletes, coaches, administrators, tournament directors and anyone else involved with disc sports from around the globe, with the second edition executed in 2016. This recent survey was launched in June 2019 and responses were collected through 21 July 2019 and was open to anyone.
“WFDF thanks everyone who participated. This is very useful to our efforts to get input directly from the athletes and other members of the community,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “We wanted to gather demographic information about the disc sports community that could be used to support promotional efforts to further the sport, and to get input on a variety of topics that are currently being discussed.”
07 August 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is pleased to announce the formation of a new WFDF Information Technology (IT) Committee to assist the board in evaluating upgrades to its systems over the next two years and oversee the work of a paid administrator.
The newly formed WFDF IT Committee will be chaired on an interim basis by Luke Tobiasiewicz and is made up of volunteers from all around the globe. Drawing experience from all facets of IT provision, the members of the committee also represent all areas of flying disc sports from Ultimate to Guts, SOTG to Streaming, Events to Governance, and more. The committee will aim to advise the WFDF board on how best to leverage IT in solving some of the challenges facing our growing sport and providing long term solutions that can benefit Athletes, National Federations as well as WFDF staff and volunteers. The members of the committee are Rueben Berg (AUS), Maximiliano Chiale (URU), Bruno Gravato (POR), Wolfgang Maehr (AUT), Sören Petersen (GER), and Travis Smith (CAN).
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