The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is pleased to announce the preliminary bid list for the WFDF 2023 World Under-24 Ultimate Championships (WU24). This European summer, from Sunday 2nd July to Saturday 8th July, approximately 1,200 Ultimate athletes from 21 countries will compete at University of Nottingham in the Open, Women’s and Mixed Under-24 divisions.
“WFDF is very excited to return to the UK again this year, following the very successful hosting of WFDF’s WU23 and WUGC events in 2015/2016”, commented WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “The Local Organising Committee (LOC) is UK Ultimate (UKU), the national governing body for Ultimate within the UK. CEO Si Hill and his dedicated team have built a trusted partnership with WFDF, and their proven successful event-hosting experience is a driving force behind the planned WU24 event concept. WFDF’s premier event for young adult Ultimate athletes is the Under-24’s, which was last held in Heidelberg, Germany, in 2019, before the Pandemic saw the planned 2021 WU24 unable to proceed. This event will be an opportunity for many university-aged athletes to get their first feel of what it is to represent an international team on the world stage.”
Si Hill, CEO of UK Ultimate, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be hosting the WFDF 2023 World U24 Ultimate Championships. It’s exciting to get back to running large-scale WFDF tournaments after our successful events in 2015-16 and to bring international Ultimate back to the UK. WU24 will be held at University of Nottingham (UoN), our long-standing event partner, and we’re happy to be working on something new together. Over the next few months, UKU and the LOC will be working hard to prepare a world-class event. We trust that WU24 will prove to be an inspiring experience for all involved. Good luck to all nations in their preparations for WU24. We look forward to welcoming you to Nottingham.”
Making the most of the event being hosted in their backyard, 10 European countries make up almost half of the country representation, with teams from the Asia-Oceanic, African, and Pan-American regions rounding out the other 50%. New Zealand – travelling the farthest distance of almost 18,500 km — is sending three teams to Nottingham, showing the strong growth and development of Ultimate down under. While the provisional bid list is likely to have two more countries added, team administrators have been busy working with UoN and LOC booking accommodation for all-inclusive on-site packages. It should surely be an amazing experience that promises to have a fantastic atmosphere both on and off the field.
“University of Nottingham is thrilled to be announced as the host of the 2023 World U24 Ultimate Championships at Highfields Sports Complex,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West. “We are perfectly set up to host a major international event of this calibre, bringing together competition venues, training facilities, accommodations, and catering in a world-class environment. Over the coming months, our delivery teams and partners will be working hard to prepare our facilities to create a warm welcome to players, coaches, officials and supporters from around the World. We wish everyone involved in the tournament the very best of luck!”
The WU24 is open to all players who are fourteen (14) years old or older and do not turn twenty-four (24) during the calendar year 2023. More information about the event can be found on the wu24.sport website.
| WFDF 2023 World Under-24 Ultimate ChampionshipsProvisional Bid list (current 1 March) | |||
| Open U24 | Women’s U24 | Mixed U24 | |
| Australia (AUS) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Austria (AUT) | 1 | 1 | |
| Belgium (BEL) | 1 | ||
| Canada (CAN) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 1 | ||
| Finland (FIN) | 1 | ||
| Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hong Kong China (HKG) | 1 | ||
| Ireland (IRL) | 1 | 1 | |
| Italy (ITA) | 1 | 1 | |
| Japan (JPN) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Netherlands (NED) | 1 | ||
| New Zealand (NZL) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| People’s Republic of China (CHN) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Singapore (SGP) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| South Africa (RSA) | 1 | ||
| Sweden (SWE) | 1 | ||
| Switzerland (SUI) | 1 | ||
| Thailand (THA) | 1 | ||
| United States of America (USA) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Allocated bids, not yet official | 2 | 2 | |
| 16 | 14 | 16 |