The first three days of competition at WFDF 2022 World Ultimate Club Championships welcomed athletes from all over the world to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA for more than 200 games. Over 3,100 athletes from 30 countries are competing in three divisions for a chance to take home gold after 8 days of spirited play.
In the first full day of pool play on Sunday, after the opening showcase game on Saturday, teams toughed out hot and humid conditions across 29 fields. Many of WUCC’s top contenders debuted with strong showings, with the No. 1 seed in each of the divisions (open, mixed and women’s) winning all of their matchups. The defeat of defending world champions Seattle Riot by Australia’s Ellipsis was the major topic of the day. Riot had not lost a game in more than a decade at WUCC.
Early morning rain couldn’t stop the momentum of teams competing on Monday (Day 3). Big plays were the name of the game as players gave it their all at the Lebanon Sports Complex. The day started off with a Callahan (defensive interception in the endzone for a score) from Mooncatchers’ (BEL) Rephael Jonkers in the showcase game against Rhino Slam! (USA), which helped them earn the win at 15-12.
In an exclusive interview with Inside the Games, which is covering the week’s action, WFDF President Robert Rauch said he believes staging this year’s remaining events successfully will show the sport can “survive” the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. “It is showing everyone around the world that it is back,” Rauch said. The Olympic Movement news service is covering the WUCC all week from Cincinnati.
Game play continues tomorrow from the Lebanon Sports Complex. The WUCC website has the full schedule, information on how to buy tickets and more.
Ulitworld will be broadcasting eight live-streamed games per day during the preliminary rounds, and extensive coverage of the quarterfinals in each division. All semifinals and finals will be streamed. The full live-stream schedule is available here.
All three Finals games will be live-steamed for free via the Olympic Channel.
The 2022 edition of the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships is officially open after a grand Opening Ceremony from Mason, Ohio, USA on July 23. The ceremony, dedicated to the WUCC volunteers who make WFDF events possible, brought together players from more than 125 teams and 30 countries for the first of eight days of competition. A flag parade of the 30 competing nations was followed by guest speakers who took to the stage, including vice mayor Adam Matthews and WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. The ceremony’s climax was three ex-Navy military veterans of the group Fastrax parachuting to present the match disc once they landed.
