World Flying Disc Federation

World Flying Disc Federation
WFDF
Sport flying disc sports
Category Ultimate, disc golf, Guts, double disc court, freestyle
Area of jurisdiction International
Formation date 1985 (1985)
Official website
www.wfdf.org

The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is the international governing body for flying disc 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 international flying disc associations, with no individual members.

Contents

Membership

WFDF has member associations in 65 countries, from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, The Caribbean and South America. WFDF is a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in Colorado, USA, and it was formed in 1985. 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. WFDF is a member of SportAccord (formerly known as GAISF), The International World Games Association (IWGA), and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE). Flying disc sport rose with the invention of plastic and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007.

History

The early years of international flying disc play were dominated by the influence of the International Frisbee Association (IFA) which began 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 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.

WFDF Presidents

Upcoming Sanctioned Events

WFDF World Overall Flying Disc Championships 2011
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, 18–23 July 2011

World Championships Beach Ultimate 2011
Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, 22–28 August 2011

Current WFDF World Championship Rankings

WFDF World Ultimate Club Championship

Prague, Czech Republic, 3–10 July 2010

Year 2010 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Revolver Sockeye Buzz Bullets
Women's Fury UNO Riot
Mixed Chad Larson Experience ONYX Mental Toss Flycoons
Masters Troubled Past Surly Eastern Greys

Perth, Australia, 11–18 November 2006

Year 2006 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Buzz Bullets Thong Chilly
Women's MUD UNO Huck
Mixed Team Fisher Price Brass Monkey Slow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Masters Vigi One Last Ditch Shot At Glory Eastern Greys

Honolulu, USA, 4–10 August 2002

Year 2002 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Condors Death Or Glory Sockeye
Women's Riot Ozone Lady Godiva
Mixed Donner Party Hang Time Trigger Happy
Masters KWA Skeleton Crew Old And In The Way

St. Andrews, Scotland, 12–20 August 1999

Year 1999 Gold Silver Bronze
Open DoG Liquidisc Condors
Women's Women on the Verge Schwa Spirals
Mixed Red Fish Blue Fish Osaka Nato RippIT
Masters Cigar Return of the Red Eye Tempus Fugit

Vancouver Canada, 27 July - 2 August 1997

Year 1997 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Sockeye Double Happiness Furious George
Women's Women on the Verge Schwa Lady Godiva
Masters Beyonders Tempus Fugit Gamecock

Millfield United Kingdom, 22–29 July 1995

Year 1995 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Double Happines DoG NYC
Women's Women on the Verge Ozone Red Lights
Masters Seven Sages Gummibears Princeton Alumni

Madison, Wisconsin USA, 24–31 July 1993

Year 1993 Gold Silver Bronze
Open New York Ultimate Double Happiness Rhino Slam!
Women's Maine-iacs Lady Godiva Women on the Verge
Masters Seven Sages Hapa Haolies Rude Boys

Toronto Canada, 22–28 July 1991

Year 1991 Gold Silver Bronze
Open New York First Time Gary Windy City
Women's Maine-iacs Lady Godiva Lady Condors
Masters Three Stages Third Coast Ultimate Mo' Better Masters

Cologne Germany, 26–30 July 1989

Year 1989 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Philmore Elvis Looney Tunes
Women's Lady Condors Smithereens Stenungsunds FC

International World Games Ultimate Championship

Kaohsiung Taiwan, 19–21 July 2009

  1. USA
  2. Japan
  3. Australia

WFDF 2009 World Overall Flying Disc Championships

Jacksonville, Florida, 9–12 July 2009 Open Division

  1. Conrad Damon - USA
  2. Jack Cooksey - USA
  3. Harvey Brandt - USA

Women's Division

  1. Mary Lowry - USA
  2. Stina Persson - SWE
  3. Marygrace Sorrentino - USA

WFDF World Ultimate Championship

Vancouver, Canada, 2–9 August 2008

2008 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Canada USA Japan
Women's USA Japan Canada
Mixed Canada Japan USA
Masters USA Canada New Zealand
Junior Open USA Canada Germany
Junior Girls Japan Australia USA

Turku, Finland, 1–7 August 2004

2004 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Canada USA Australia
Women's Canada Finland USA
Mixed USA Canada New Zealand
Masters USA Canada Great Britain
Junior Open USA Canada Germany
Junior Girls Canada USA Sweden

Heilbronn, Germany, 12–20 August 2000

2000 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden Canada
Women's Canada Japan Finland
Mixed USA Canada Finaldn
Masters USA Germany Canada
Junior Open Sweden Canada USA
Junior Girls USA Canada Finland

Blaine, Minnesota, USA, 15–22 August 1998

1998 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Canada Japan USA
Women's USA Japan Canada
Mixed Canada USA Germany
Masters Canada USA Netherlands
Junior USA Sweden Canada

Jönköping, Sweden, 10–17 August 1996

1996 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden Finland
Women's Sweden USA Japan
Masters Sweden Canada USA
Junior Sweden Germany USA

Colchester, United Kingdom, 21–28 August 1994

1994 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden Canada
Women's USA Netherlands Canada
Masters USA Canada Germany
Junior Sweden USA Germany

Utsunomiya, Japan, 17–23 August 1992

1992 Gold Silver Bronze
Open Sweden Canada Japan
Women's Japan Sweden USA
Masters USA Germany Japan
Junior Chinese Taipei Japan

Oslo, Norway, 8–14 July 1990

1990 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden Finland
Women's USA Sweden Finland
Masters USA Canada Germany
Junior Sweden Finland USA

Leuven, Belgium, August 29 - September 3, 1988

1988 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Finland Sweden
Women's USA Netherlands Sweden
Junior Sweden Finland USA

Colchester, United Kingdom, 25–31 August 1986

1986 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden West Germany
Women's USA Great Britain Finland
Junior Sweden Finland Great Britain

Lucerne, Switzerland, 2–9 September 1984

1984 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Sweden Finland
Women's Finland Sweden Austria
Junior Sweden Austria

Gothenburg, Sweden, August 29 - September 3, 1983

1983 Gold Silver Bronze
Open USA Finland Sweden
Women's USA Finland Sweden
Junior Finland USA Austria

WFDF World Guts Championship

Vancouver, Canada, 2–9 August 2008

  1. USA (Red)
  2. Japan (White)
  3. Japan (Red)

Source

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