The World Flying Disc Federation (“WFDF”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Cat Phillips (AUS) as member of the inaugural IWGA Athletes’ Committee. It had been agreed to launch an Athletes’ Committee at the 2022 AGM and the initial members were confirmed at the IWGA board meeting in January.
The seven members of this committee are Sandra Sanchez of Spain (Karate), who serves as chair, Cat Phillips from Australia (Flying Disc), Andrés Acuña from Costa Rica (Racquetball), Matthias Hofbauer of Switzerland (Floorball), Abhishek Verma of India (Archery), Justyna Możdżonek from Poland (DanceSport), and Rhaea Stinn from Canada (Powerlifting).
“It is great news that one of our elite Flying Disc athletes is participating as a member of the first ever IWGA Athletes’ Committee,” commented WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “The opinion of the athletes is what matters most, particularly in challenging times where the pressures on our athletes are greater than ever. I am certain that Cat will make good use of this unique opportunity to be a voice for all athletes in The World Games.”
Catherine “Cat” Phillips commented on the appointment: “I am proud and excited to be representing Flying Disc athletes from around the world on the inaugural World Games Athletes’ Commission. In particular, I’m looking forward to making sure that the issues that are most important to athletes are front and centre as we move towards the 2025 World Games.”
Phillips has played for the Australian National Ultimate Team in three editions of The World Games: in 2013 (Cali, COL, Silver Medal), 2017 (Wroclaw, POL) and 2022 (Birmingham, USA, Silver Medal). A dual-sport athlete, she also has played 44 games across the past six seasons in the AFL Women’s (AFLW), Australia’s national semi-professional Australian rules football league. The 31 year old is Commercial Manager-Organics for Cleanaway Waste Management and a director of Australian Organics Recycling Association Limited. She earned a MEng and BSc from the University of Melbourne.
Per the IWGA, this initial Athletes’ Committee has an interim status until September 2025. An Athletes’ Committee will be elected by the athletes of the next edition of The World Games in Chengdu, China. The main task over the next two-and-a-half years will be to prepare for the installation of this Athletes’ Committee, including the process of election, future powers, composition, and associated regulatory changes. The focus of efforts will be on the regulations for the transformation of the provisional committee into a standard institution of the IWGA.