JULY 24 17:30 USA wins the gold!  The USA are World Games champions by out-scoring Australia 13-11 in the gold medal game.  Both teams were fired up, making big plays and playing pressure defense.  It was the usual team effort for the USA squad, as nine of their eleven players scored goals.  Will Deaver (3) and Deborah Cussen (27) once-again anchored a confident USA offense, and Chase Sparling-Beckley (7) and Miranda Roth (25) made great defensive plays.  Tom Rogocki (42), Matthew Dowle (9), and Sarah Wentworth (44) were stand-out players for the Aussies. The highlight of the game was a successful “greatest” play executed by Rogocki of Australia who leapt out of bounds to grab the disc mid-air and tossed it back to Anthony Dowle (4) to keep the disc in play.  Dowle passed it to Diana Worman (7) for the score. Congratulations to both teams for an exciting World Games tournament and a thrilling final! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 Bronze medal match: Canada overcomes a 6-0 run by Japan after half-time and hangs on for a 15-14 win.  Jeff Cruickshank was key to Canada’s success, recording an assist or goal for the last six Canadian points scored.  Japan’s patient offense and thrilling hucks, most notably from Masahiro Matsuno (13) to Yasushi Yamamoto (3), weren’t enough to notch the win for Japan.  Tied at 14’s, Japan received the disc and turned it over on a out-of-bounds throw.  Cruickshank threw to Andrew Lugsdin (9) for the point and the game.  Japan was clearly upset after the loss, as they were determined to take home the bronze again.  Unfortunately there can only be one winner, but both teams were champions, playing with great heart and spirit.  Congratulations to both teams! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 Bronze Medal Match Half Time: Canada leads Japan 7-3 at half-tme.  Canada's acrobatic defense has shut down Japan's offense in the first half of the bronze medal match.  Defenseive plays by Valerie Dion (66), Andrew Lugsdin (9), and Derek Alexander (33) have fired up the Canadian team .  Japan has had several throwaways that the Canadian's have quickly converted into points.  Canada is using their long game successfully.  Stand-out players for Japan include the "scoring machine" Yasushi Yamamoto (3) and the women Ayumi Fujioka (1) and Eri Hirai (11) with their steady handling skills. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 PLAYER INTERVIEWS The World Games is more than an Ultimate event. 3,500 of athletes compete in 40 sports at 27 venues around Duisburg, Germany. This is a special experience for the Ultimate players competing here, and we asked them a few questions to find out how their experience has been. Follow the link to see what our athletes have to say! More...

JULY 24 Bronze Medal Match Preview: Canada and Japan are getting ready to face off at 12:30 p.m. for the bronze medal game.  Japan, third place finishers at the World Games in Akita in 2001, is looking to defend their position.  “I think that we can do it,” said Fumio “Moro” Morooka, the coach of Japan.  “Yesterday’s game (against Canada) was very even, and I think that we can beat them.  Our team has gotten better and better throughout the tournament.”  Canada, as defending World Games champions, has been disappointed with their tournament so far.  “We are committed to putting a positive spin at the end of it with a win here, “said Evan Wood (Canada, # 54).  "If we play hard defense and clean up our offense, we’ll be fine.”  Good luck to both teams in what will surely be a hard-fought game. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 5th-6th Game Final: Germany outperforms Finland in the second half to win 13-10.  Key to the victory were Thomas Maierhofer (19) and Jan Phillip Rether (23) who played great defense and connected on some huge hucks that sealed the victory.  On Finland's last possession, Hasanuddin "Hans" Tiro (8) intercepted the disc just outside of their endzone, and he tossed it to Phillip Timmermann (4) for the final point.  The team and the crowd celebrated for German's first win of the tournament. "It was very important for us to win," said Tiro.  "We are not only the host nation, but we deserve to be here." Congratulations to both teams for an outstanding tournament! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 5th-6th Game Half Time: Germany leads Finland 7-5 at half-time.  Hot playing by Phillip Timmermann (4), Thomas Maierhofer (19), and Karolina Czajka (7) has led Germany to a small lead over Finland in a tightly contested game.  Pumped up by the crowd, Germany has been breaking Finland's defense and making exciting catches in the endzone.  Finland has been led by Josefina Hiitola (4), Paula Jussila (5), and great defensive play by Konstantin Laakkonen (77).  The Finns have been making a too few many mistakes on which Germany has capitalized.  Both teams are hungry for the win though, and it should prove to be an exciting second half. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 24 9:55 Three tough match-ups are featured at the final day of the World Games Ultimate competition.  Germany and Finland are currently warming up for the 5th/6th game that will kick-off at 10:00 a.m.  In pool play Finland beat Germany by two points.  At 12:30, the bronze medal game features Canada and Japan.  Canada also beat Japan by two points in the final round  yesterday.  The gold medal match pits USA against Australia which should be an exciting re-match of pool play game that the USA took by one point.  All games are up for grabs.  It will be an exciting day of competition here in Duisburg! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 18:15 Day two of World Games Ultimate competition wraps up with a close game between Japan and Canada.  The Canadians held on the win while Japan used their speed and accurate throws to keep the game tight.  The final score was 13-11, and the two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon for the bronze medal game.  Who will win the rematch?  Tune in tomorrow for live coverage of the final day of competition. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 16:00 In third round action today, the USA defeated Finland 13-8 and Australia beat Germany 13-8.  Both the USA and Australia looked comfortable in their victories.  Now rest is on order for all four teams as they get ready for tomorrow's final games.  Canada and Japan are now warming up for the final round this afternoon, finishing up pool play for the World Games Ultimate competition.  After two days of dreary weather, the sun is now finally peeking through.  Hopefully we will see sunny skies for tomorrow. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 12:50 With round robin play down to the last round, tomorrow's medal matches are set with Germany vs. Finland in the 5/6 game at 10:00, Canada vs. Japan in the bronze medal match at 12:30, and USA vs. Australia in the gold medal match at 15:03. (Brian Gisel)

JULY 23 12:45 In second round action, Canada soundly defeats a struggling Finnish team 13-2.  On field one, the score stands 7-6 with Japan taking half over Germany.  The stands are packed with German fans, adding to the energy and excitement of the game.  The German women handlers are working well together to move the disc up the field, and the Japanese men are making defensive plays that are keeping them one step ahead.  It should be an exciting second half! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 12:40 Japan and Germany played evenly in the first half of their second round game here at Duisburg's Sportschule Wedau today, but the second half clearly belonged to the Japanese.  Behind strong play by the Japanese women Eri Hirai (11) and Emiri Minegishi (3), they pulled ahead to 11-7 and then 12-8.  Although they looked tired, the Germans never gave up - Thomas Maierhofer (19) thrilled the home crowd with a huge lay-out defense on game point.  The Japanese had speedier cuts and crisper throws; they sealed their win after a turn-over filled point when Toshinobu Miura (4) put up a huge throw to a jubilant Kei Sasakawa (8) in the endzone.  After the game, both teams joined together to bow and wave to a cheering crowd.  Both teams face tough opponents this afternoon with Germany – Australia in round 3, and Japan – Canada in round 4. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 Team USA beats Team Australia 15-14 in a thrilling game!  Both teams fought for the victory at the end, but the USA pulled it out in a true team effort.  USA led at 12-11, but then Australia took the next two points making it 12-13.  A great catch and throw for the score by Dominique Fontenette (12) tied the game at 13.  Sloppy play by Australia contributed to USA’s next point, but the Aussies responded with a great diving grab by Matthew Dowle (9) making it 14-14.  USA gets the disc on the next possession, and they execute their stellar offense.  Bartholomew Watson (24) sends it to a wide-open Jeffrey Eastham-Anderson (4) for the score and the game! (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 23 10:00 Match-up of the Undefeateds: The USA - Australia match is underway on a cool morning in Duisburg.  Both teams had records of 3-0 in yesterday's competition and will likely face each other in tomorrow's gold medal match.  Both teams seem a little off their game with uncharacteristic drops and throw-aways, but hot playing by Team Australia twins Matthew (9) and Anthony (4) Dowle and Team USA's Miranda Roth (25) and Deb Cussen (27) are keeping this game exciting.  Australia leads 7-6 at the half. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 22 20:00 Determined Aussies Upset World Games Defending Champions: In the much-anticipated match between Team Canada and Team Australia, the Aussies proved to be the stronger in a match that went into overtime with a hard cap of 15 points. Australia pulled out the victory by one point in this thrilling game winning 15-14.  Leading the way with their huge hucks were team captain Jonathan Potts (2) and big man Tom Rogacki (42).  Sarah Wentworth (44) and Diana Worman (7) were key players down the stretch as well.  For Canada, the offense of Andrew Lugsdin (9), Jeff Cruickshank (19), and Kirk Savage (91) kept Canada close, but in the end, Australia reigned supreme.  Australia is 3-0 for the day, and tomorrow they face the USA, the only other undefeated team of the tournament. (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

22. JULI 18:45 Hi All - Leider gingen alle drei Spiele der deutschen Mannschaft heute verloren. Trotzdem gute Stimmung auf den Rängen und Anfeuerungsrufe! Vielleicht geht morgen noch richtig was. Morgen soll auch ein kleiner Ausschnitt in der ARD im Rahmen der Tour-Übertragung laufen. Schätze so 4-5 min, wahrscheinlich zwischen 13:15 und 13:45, wenn ich das richtig mitbekommen habe. So zwischen 11 und 12 Uhr lief ja auch mal immer wieder was über die Worldgames in ARD und ZDF. (Matthias Brucklacher)

JULY 22 18:15 Scores so far: USA - Japan 13: 4, Germany - Canada 9: 13, Australia - Finland 13: 3 Unfortunately, it is unusally cool and together with the rain the weather is not really what we all had hoped for in July. But it should get better tomorrow. Talks and preparations for the live broadcast of the final on Sunday are on the way; if we get a list of subscribing TV channels (besides EuroSport 2) we will pass it on. (Thomas Griesbaum)

JULY 22 17:00 Team Canada, the reigning World Games champion, faced off against Team USA in the third round of games today at Sportschule Wedau.  Team USA led from the beginning and won the contest 13-8 behind strong play from Josh Ziperstein (2), Bartholomew Watson (24), and Deborah Cussen (27).  Stand-out players on Team Canada were Kirk Savage (9), Oscar Pottinger (25), and Evan Wood (54).  Team Canada fought until the end, but Team USA won convincingly. More... (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 22 16:30 Tight man-to-man defense and patient offense were the keys to the 13-4 USA victory over Japan this morning.  Will Deaver (3) and Deborah Cussen (27) anchored the offense with their precision-like throws that shredded Japan’s clam defense.  Japan, led by Miura Toshinobu (4) and Ayumi Fujioka (1), were stymied by the USA defense.  Joshua Ziperstein (2), Jefrey Eastham-Anderson (4), and Miranda Roth (25) made great defensive plays that kept the game momentum always in the USA’s favor. More... (Deirdre Abrahamsson)

JULY 22 10:00 Close game between Germany and Canada. Germany hangs on at game point for Canada with a pass from Karolina Czajka (7) to Berlin's Delia Chiu (17) to make the score 9-12. Canada takes the pull and quickly moves up field with several flowing forward passes ending with a 15 meter throw from Canada's Valerie Dion (66) to Derek Alexander (33). Canada wins 13-9. Germany's Stoffel: "We can do more!" (Joey Gray)

JULY 22 7:00 National ultimate teams from Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, and the USA completed their practice day yesterday in Duisburg, Germany for The World Games 2005. Today the round robin competition begins, starting with Germany vs. Canada and USA vs. Japan at 9:00. The pouring down rain just stopped, and started again with slight winds, which promises to make the games quite interesting in a different way - including the possibility of more zone defenses. Quote from before last night's captain's meeting, clearly shared by all: "We're so ready to play." (Joey Gray)

JULY 21 1:00 An injury is reported by the Finnish team. Athlete Tommi Lehto will be replaced by the Finnish extra-official Peetu Öunap. Tommi Lehto will take over Peetu's place as extra-official. (Thomas Griesbaum)

21 JULI 11:00 Alle Teams sind inzwischen da, derzeit trainieren Japan und Kanada. Nach einem Sturm, bei dem gestern einige Pavillons zerstört wurden, mussten heute morgen Äste von den Feldern geräumt werden, aber die Felder sehen wieder sehr gut aus. (Thomas Griesbaum)

JULY 20 Flying disc teams have arrived in Duisburg! Practice is scheduled on Thursday July 21st with fields reserved for: Japan and Canada from 10.00 to 13.00; USA and Australia from 13.00 to 16.00; and Germany and Finland from 16.00 to 19.00. Opening ceremonies will take place Friday, July 22 at 12.50. (Joey Gray)

JULY 14 Schreiber and Czajka at Opening Ceremonies: German national team members march with over 3,000 athletes from 93 countries... More... (Joey Gray)