Press Release * Official Communication
WFDF releases 2014 annual census of its member associations
17 July 2014
WFDF is pleased to announce that it has published 2014 annual census of its member associations. The census, which has been done continually since 2002, reports that there were 145,592 athletes who were members of the 60 disc sports associations in 56 countries that are members of WFDF. Of the total, 29% are women, 16% are under 19, and 16% are over 35.
Read more: WFDF releases 2014 annual census of its member associations
WFDF announces results of first ever Global Disc Sports Community Survey
16 July 2014
WFDF is pleased to announce that it has published a report of the results of the first ever Global Disc Sports Community survey, which was launched in February 2014. The 2014 survey was designed to gather input from athletes, coaches, administrators, tournament directors, and anyone else involved with disc sports from around the globe. The survey was conducted in February and March 2014 on www.surveymonkey.com and was open to anyone.
Read more: WFDF announces results of first ever Global Disc Sports Community Survey
United States Olympic Committee recognises USA Ultimate
25 June 2014
WFDF is pleased to announce that USA Ultimate (USAU) was recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on 10 June 2014 as a USOC Recognized Sport Organization.
“We are extremely excited to hear the news about the formal recognition of USA Ultimate, WFDF’s largest member association, by the United States Olympic Committee,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “This is an important acknowledgement of the successful role USAU plays in organizing the entire gamut of Ultimate events in the US from elite competition to grass roots development. It is also another confirmation from the Olympic Movement that our focus on ‘spirit of the game’ is seen as a selling point and not a hindrance to acceptance in the world of sport.”
Read more: United States Olympic Committee recognises USA Ultimate
WFDF releases updated Appendix to the Rules of Ultimate
18 June 2014
WFDF is pleased to announce that the updated Appendix to the Rules of Ultimate is released. The Appendix incorporates the recommendations that were made regarding Game Advisors as part of the Interim Report of the WFDF Spirit of the Game (SOTG) Task Force.
This Interim Report was released, along with the Final Report, on June 4. The Final Report included additional recommendations regarding the role of Game Advisors, and these additional recommendations, if approved by Congress at Lecco in August, will be considered for future updates.
Read more: WFDF releases updated Appendix to the Rules of Ultimate
Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) recognizes Japan Flying Disc Association (JFDA)
18 June 2014
WFDF is pleased to announce that the Japan Flying Disc Association (JFDA) was approved by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) on 9 June 2014 as a JOC-recognized organization.
“We are extremely pleased about this news from Asia about the formal recognition of our largest member association on the continent by the Japanese Olympic Committee,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch.
Read more: Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) recognizes Japan Flying Disc Association (JFDA)
WFDF Seeks Bids to Host WFDF 2015 Asia-Oceanic Guts Club Championships (AOGCC)
05 June 2014
WFDF’s Board of Directors and Ultimate Committee are seeking bids from potential host organizers for the WFDF 2015 Asia-Oceanic Guts Club Championships (AOGCC).
The AOGCC 2015 will be the first ever Club Championships in the Asian-Oceania region for the flying disc sport of Guts. The event is expected to be held bi-annually and is comprised of club teams competing in the Guts divisions.
Read more: WFDF Seeks Bids to Host WFDF 2015 Asia-Oceanic Guts Club Championships (AOGCC)
WFDF Board of Directors approves final report and recommendations of Spirit of the Game Task Force
04 June 2014
Interim recommendations already adopted for implementation at WUCC, other proposals to be reviewed at Congress
WFDF is pleased to announce that the final report and recommendations of the Spirit of the Game (SOTG) Task Force have been approved by its Board of Directors and now are published for review by the Flying Disc community under this link to the final report and recommendations.
“We are extremely pleased to publish this final report of the SOTG Task Force, which received unanimous support by the Board of Directors. It is the culmination of nearly nine months of work by all of the members of the task force in evaluating some difficult and, at times, contentious topics,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “The task force was led by Rueben Berg who organized the discussions clearly and kept the group very focused over the entire period. I am pleased with the result and believe that the revisions which are to be introduced in two phases have achieved our stated objectives.”
Read more: WFDF Board of Directors approves final report and recommendations of Spirit of the Game Task Force
WFDF Athletes’ Commission elections 2014 – call for nominations
03 June 2014
WFDF had established its first ever Athletes’ Commission with elections held during the WUGC 2012 in Sakai, Japan. As the initial term of the Commission members comes to an end in 2014 during World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC), WFDF is now putting out a new call for nominations for the Athletes’ Commission to be voted on by the participating athletes at the WFDF 2014 WUCC in Lecco, Italy.
The WFDF Athletes’ Commission was established to promote open communication with, and solicit feedback from, current elite flying disc athletes, and give them a formal role in the decision-making process of WFDF. The WFDF Athletes’ Commission has as its main focus the issues facing athletes in the sport of Ultimate, as this is our largest disc sport constituency and the one that is involved in the World Games.
Read more: WFDF Athletes’ Commission elections 2014 – call for nominations
WFDF Seeks Bids to Host WFDF 2016 World Ultimate & Guts Championships
02 June 2014
WFDF’s Board of Directors and Ultimate Committee are seeking bids from potential host organizers for the WFDF 2016 World Ultimate & Guts Championships (WUGC).
The WUGC is the premier world championship event for the flying disc disciplines of Ultimate and Guts. The event is held every four years and is comprised of national teams competing in Ultimate in the Open, Women’s, Mixed, Open Masters, Women’s Masters divisions, and in Guts. The event was first held in 1983 in Gothenburg Sweden and was most recently held in 2012 Sakai, Japan.
Read more: WFDF Seeks Bids to Host WFDF 2016 World Ultimate & Guts Championships
Pope Francis is introduced to Frisbee !
27 May 2014
Pope Francis is introduced to Frisbee! Andrew Hochstedler, an American expat who plays with the Turkish Ultimate Team “Türk Kasi,” recently met the Pope in connection with the 2015 Assisi Youth Conference in Rome and presented a disc to him. The artwork on the disc presented shows the name of the team which was founded and led by Brother Hochstedler. The picture shows Pope Francis with the disc that was presented (photo by Joel Perera).
Read more: Pope Francis is introduced to Frisbee !
Page 29 of 38
Latest WFDF Communiques
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/
13 December 2019 - Official Communication
The World Flying Disc Federation is pleased to announce that it has appointed Luke Tobiasiewicz as its IT Administrator in a part-time consultancy. Luke Tobiasiewicz, who had been serving as Chair of the WFDF IT Committee and is of British and Polish nationality, is currently also working as an IT Consultant for the Veritas Foundation (London) and for the St Albans Independent College (UK) as the IT Manager. He will also serve as Competition Director at the WFDF 2020 World Ultimate and Guts Championship in Leeuwarden, Netherlands in July 2020.
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