USA WINS GOLD AT WORLD GAMES

photo courtesy of Scobel Wiggins Photography

(Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei), Team USA won Gold, Japan Silver and Australia Bronze at the 8th edition of the World Games.

Also in attendance were Canada, Great Britain and Chinese Taipei. The event featured Mixed Division teams comprised of

7 men and 6 women using a round robin format followed by a Gold Medal and Silver Medal game as well as a consolation

match in the finals.

wfdf file photo

The games opened in the brand new state of the art Kaohsiung Main Stadium, the most eco-friendly stadium in the world. Large

boisterous crowds cheered on the teams for the duration of the games with 15,000 attending on the first day. The stadium was used

for the opening ceremony, closing ceremony and for Ultimate Flying Disc as well as Rugby 7's. 51,234 people attended the Ultimate games

which was the highest for any sport at the 2009 World Games.

photo courtesy of Scobel Wiggins Photography

The real story of the games was the high level of Spirit Of The Game which was on full display for each and every game. Each call

that was made was quickly discussed, agreed to and the action continued. On rare occasion the debate lingered or the disc was

sent back to the thrower. Team Australia won the Spirit of the Game award but it easily could have gone to virtually any of the other teams. This high

mindedness made for easy spectator veiwing which was crucial to the success of the games since so few of the spectators had prior knowledge

of the rules of Ultimate. It also created a positive aspect to the sport of Ultimate, especially when compared to the other events being contested

at the 2009 World Games.

wfdf file photo

This was the 3rd time that Ultimate was part of the World Games. Akita, Japan in 2001 welcomed Ultimate into the fold with Duisberg,

Germany in 2005. But this event differed from it's previous manifestations in that Ultimate was featured front and center. The swelling

crowds, enthused dignitaries and impressed officials gave every indication that this was the hit of the games. The 2013 World Games will

be held in Santiago de Cali, Colombia and Ultimate will likely gain even more visibility during those games. This could very well be a

glimpse into the future of the sport. The 2009 World Games was certainly a vivid moment in the history of the game of Ultimate.

More information can be found and a more complete report on the games can be found at the following web sites:

WFDF World Games Report

UPA Report

World Games

Kevin Givens - WFDF

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