The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is the international governing body for flying disc (Frisbee) sports, with responsibility for sanctioning world championship events, establishing uniform rules, setting of standards for and recording of world records. WFDF is a federation of member associations which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in 100 countries. WFDF is an international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), GAISF, and the International World Games Association (IWGA), and it is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, U.S.

Membership

WFDF has member associations in 118 countries (90+28) (in March 2022), from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, The Caribbean and South America (regular members and provisional members). WFDF is a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in Colorado, US, and it was formed in 1985. WFDF is a member of Global Association of International Sports Federations (formerly known as SportAccord), The International World Games Association (IWGA), and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE). In May 2013, under the leadership of WFDF President Robert L. "Nob" Rauch, WFDF was granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee and gained full IOC recognition on 2 August 2015. It is now one of 42 sports that are members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.

Members by regions

118 members (90 regular members and 28 provisional members):

Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation (AOFDF)

Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation (AOFDF) - (governing body of Asian and Oceanic Flying Disc) (one of the continental association of the World Flying Disc Federation). On 3 December 2011, was founded in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei (2011 WFDF Asia Oceanic Ultimate Championship (AOUC)). Foundation meeting: Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Singapore. Events: Members (25+3): Asia: Oceania: Other:

European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF)/European Ultimate Federation (EUF)

List

Federations

Nations

Regular members

Provisional members

History

Flying disc sport rose with the invention of plastic and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. The early years of international flying disc play were dominated by the influence of the International Frisbee Association (IFA) which was founded by Ed Headrick in 1967 as the promotional arm of the Wham-O Manufacturing Company. Many of the international affiliates began as Wham-O distributorships that sponsored tours of well-known Frisbee athletes. Several groups of individual disc event stars like Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner touring Canada in 1972. The brothers Jens and Erwin Velasquez and the team of Peter Bloeme and Dan "Stork" Roddick made several tours of Scandinavia and the rest of Europe in the mid-1970s; Jo Cahow and Stork went to Australia and Japan in 1976 and Victor Malafronte and Monica Lou toured Japan around the same time. Stork—starting as head of the sports marketing arm of the U.S.-based Wham-O in 1975—played a crucial role in encouraging the establishment of national flying disc associations (FDAs) in Sweden, Japan, Australia, and in many of the countries of Western Europe. The FDAs began with freestyle and accuracy competitions but as Ultimate and disc golf caught on, the associations began to broaden their focus. The concept of an independent world organization for the development and coordination of all of the disc disciplines began in 1980 at an Atlanta, Georgia, meeting of 40 international disc organizers. A loose federation led by Jim Powers was formed from that meeting but never took off. The following year, the relatively well-established national flying disc associations of Europe formed the European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF). In 1983 Wham-O was sold to Kransco and the IFA was disbanded. Spurred on by the demise of the IFA, Stork called a meeting at the US Open Overall Championships in La Mirada, California. A plan was presented by Charlie Mead of England and a formal decision was made to establish a worldwide disc association in Örebro, Sweden during the 1984 European Overall Championships. This decision was confirmed later that year by other flying disc countries in Lucerne, Switzerland, during the World Ultimate and Guts Championships, and thus the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) was born. The first WFDF Congress was held in Helsingborg, Sweden in July 1985, where the first set of statutes was adopted and the first board was elected. The first president was Charlie Mead (England), the first secretary Johan Lindgren (Sweden) and the first treasurer Brendan Nolan (Ireland). Membership was composed of the national flying disc associations and US-oriented organizations such as the Ultimate Players Association, Freestyle Players Associations, and Guts Players Association. Committees were established to oversee international play and rules for each of the disc disciplines. Over the remainder of the 1980s, WFDF took on an increasing role in overseeing and promoting international disc tournaments with Stork as president and Lindgren as secretary-treasurer. In 1992, Robert L. "Nob" Rauch was elected President of WFDF and Juha Jalovaara become chair of the Ultimate Committee. Over the next two years, WFDF was reorganized to better reflect the increasing growth of Ultimate and the diversity of WFDF's membership. The disc committee structure was simplified into a broad category of team sports (Ultimate and Guts) and individual events (golf and the overall disciplines). The role of the Rules Committee was expanded, headed by Stork, to ensure consistency and an annual rules book was printed. With a variety of representation, the categories of membership were further defined, with national associations able to join as regular, associate, or provisional (non-paying) members depending on level of participation and resources. WFDF's corporate standing was reorganized and incorporated in Colorado, obtaining US tax-exempt status. WFDF, with a fairly nominal budget, found help with the increasing use of e-mail that permitted reasonable communication and coordination. In 1994, the application to join the International World Games Association (IWGA)—championed by Fumio "Moro" Morooka of Japan—was prepared and eventually accepted by the IWGA leading to Ultimate's participation in the 2001 World Games in Akita, Japan, and in each of the subsequent competitions. In May 2013, under the leadership WFDF President Robert L. "Nob" Rauch, WFDF was granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee and it is now one of 42 sports that are members of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations. Due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, WFDF canceled all its world championship events in both 2020 and 2021. It is planning to recommence world championship events in Ultimate, Beach ultimate, Disc Golf, and Overall in 2022, and to participate in The World Games championships in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. in July 2022 that had been postponed from 2021.

Disciplines

Disciplines: Disc sports represented include: Ultimate (outdoor, indoor, beach), disc golf, field events (distance, accuracy, self caught flight, discathon), guts frisbee, double disc court, and freestyle.

Presidents

Event results

Regional events

WFDF World Ultimate Club Championship

Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., 23–31 July 2022 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., 14–21 July 2018 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 29 July - 4 August 2018 Lecco, Italy, 2–9 August 2014 Prague, Czech Republic, 3–10 July 2010 Perth, Australia, 11–18 November 2006 Honolulu, US, 4–10 August 2002 St. Andrews, Scotland, 12–20 August 1999 Vancouver Canada, 27 July – 2 August 1997 Millfield United Kingdom, 22–29 July 1995 Madison, Wisconsin US, 24–31 July 1993 Toronto Canada, 22–28 July 1991 Cologne Germany, 26–30 July 1989

International World Games Ultimate Championship

Kaohsiung Taiwan, 19–21 July 2009

WFDF 2009 World Overall Flying Disc championships

Jacksonville, Florida, 9–12 July 2009 Open Division Women's Division

WFDF World Ultimate and Guts Championship (WUGC)

Gold Coast, Australia, 31 August – 7 September 2024 London, Great Britain, 18–25 June 2016 Sakai, Japan, 7–14 July 2012 Vancouver, Canada, 2–9 August 2008 Turku, Finland, 1–7 August 2004 Heilbronn, Germany, 12–20 August 2000 Blaine, Minnesota, US, 15–22 August 1998 Jönköping, Sweden, 10–17 August 1996 Colchester, United Kingdom, 21–28 August 1994 Utsunomiya, Japan, 17–23 August 1992 Oslo, Norway, 8–14 July 1990 Leuven, Belgium, 29 August – 3 September 1988 Colchester, United Kingdom, 25–31 August 1986 Lucerne, Switzerland, 2–9 September 1984 Gothenburg, Sweden, 29 August – 3 September 1983

Sources