For the first time in eight years, teams convened on the world stage to compete for the title of Ultimate World Champions. With the 2020 edition of this quadrennial event canceled due to COVID, excitement was high as athletes gathered from around the world to play for their national teams in Gold Coast, Australia.
It was a week of triumphs and heartbreaks that culminated with the USA fighting to defend their titles in front of packed stands for the three division finals on Saturday, the 7th of September. After taking the top prize in the Open and Mixed divisions in blowout matches, the USA pulled off the sweep, capping the tournament with a close battle for the Women’s division Gold. The tight match against Colombia kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Mostly trading points throughout the first half, Colombia then took the lead for the first time in the game going up 10-8, but the USA ended the game with a three point run, winning 14-12.
Home country Australia took overall second in the tournament, bringing home Bronze in both the Open and Women’s divisions. The Colombia delegation did well, taking the Women’s division Silver and the prestigious Spirit of the Game award in Open, as did Japan, taking Silver in Open and Spirit in Women’s. Other top finishers include Canada, with Silver in Mixed, France with the Bronze, and Malaysia who finished out the Mixed division podium with the Spirit award.
| Division | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Spirit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | USA | JPN | AUS | COL |
| Women’s | USA | COL | AUS | JPN |
| Mixed | USA | CAN | FRA | MAS |
“Spirit was high across all divisions,” said Spirit Director Karen Baker “The World Ultimate Championships provided unique challenges including high winds, tight matchups, cultural and language barriers, and high pressure pivotal moments. Yet, teams remained motivated to achieve good spirit scores. It was rewarding to see the Ultimate communities’ ability to maintain a high level of integrity at the top levels of competition.”
Ultimate, A Spectator Sport
In addition to the almost 1400 athletes competing, a large crowd of spectators gathered in Gold Coast to cheer on the national teams and watch the action. The event was sold out from day five onward, with over 1500 daily tickets sold and more than 350 full time supporter tickets. Attending to watch the semifinals and finals was so popular that, after the initial ticket allotment sold out, additional seating areas were added.
WUC attendees included a large number of Australian National Team Alumni. Australia’s first appearance at a WFDF World Championship was in 1988 in Leuven, Belgium and former players from the Dingoes, Firetails, and Barramundis came out in force to support their community and cheer on this year’s teams. Their dedication was rewarded as the Australian teams featured in all three Bronze medal matches, with the Firetails (Women’s) fighting to a 14-9 finish over Canada to bring home their first ever WUC medal. The Dingoes (Open) also took home the Bronze win, with the Barramundis (Mixed) taking a tough loss to France on universe point to come in 4th.
In partnership with Ultiworld, upward of 90 games were broadcast throughout the event. The excitement was high with more than 30,000 viewers from around the world tuning in for the opening day event. The coverage continued with each team in attendance being featured on at least one broadcast. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals were all streamed live.
The China Media Group (CMG) also partnered with WFDF to broadcast live coverage in Mandarin over their network, with viewership reaching 6.07 million viewers throughout the week.
The Road to Chengdu
The World Ultimate Championships offered an additional level of excitement this year, as it also served as the qualifying event for The World Games 2025 (TWG) in Chengdu, China. Each national delegation started the competition with a chance to qualify, and the field narrowed throughout the competition until the final qualifiers were determined during the semifinals and tightly contested Bronze medal matches.
The final point totals, and seeding placement for TWG, are as follows:
1. USA: 300
2. AUS: 269
3. CAN: 266
4. JPN: 256
5. COL: 247
6. FRA: 241
7. GER: 239
8. CHN: 213 (host bid)
Competition for the top seven positions was fierce with Great Britain and Germany vying for the final qualifying spot, both achieving 239 points. The tiebreaker was the Mixed division finishing position, where Germany placed 7th and Great Britain came in 9th.
“The World Games qualifying race brought added excitement to our first World Championships since 2016,” stated Tournament Technical Director Brian Gisel. “The race to qualify for Chengdu reached a fever pitch on the penultimate day of the race as spectators and players alike were following results from across the tournament. Once the dust settled we were left with our seven top countries who, along with the host team, I’m sure will put on a very spirited and competitive event in August next year. I for one, can’t wait for the 2025 World Games!”
In addition to serving as the WUC 2024 Tournament Technical Director, Gisel serves on the WFDF board as Vice President and Chair of the Ultimate Committee. He will be Competition Manager for Ultimate at TWG 2025 in Chengdu.
Growing the Sport
One of WFDF’s goals, as outlined in the latest Strategic Plan, is to continue to grow the audience for Flying Disc sports beyond those who directly participate in them. One strategy to achieve this is through participation in multisport events like The World Games, and pursuing inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, just north of the WUC location in Gold Coast.
“We were pleased with the support and interest generated by WUC throughout the local region,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “Local officials including City of Gold Coast Councilors Bob La Castra and Shelley Curtis attended during the week’s events, as well as a representative from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Committee. Tourist and Events Queensland, the regional tourist bureau, provided significant financial support. We are also pleased to see the broadcast audience in China – host to TWG 2025 – continue to grow through our partnership with the CMG. The hard work and dedication of the athletes participating, as well as the many staff and volunteers, made the event fun to watch, and one we can all be proud of.”
“Running a World Championship event is no easy feat,” shared Tournament Director Mat Ryan. “It engaged the services of over 50 contract staff providing professional services in broadcast, media, audio, catering, and infrastructure services, and almost 100 staff working for WFDF and the Local Organizing Committee, including over 50 full time volunteers.”
Complete event results can be viewed on the WUC Results website. To keep up to date with all that is happening at WFDF, including progress toward TWG 2025, follow along on your favorite social media @worldflyingdisc.
About WFDF:
The World Flying Disc Federation is the international sports federation responsible for world governance of flying disc (frisbee) sports, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Disc Golf, Freestyle, Guts and Overall Events. WFDF is a federation of 115 member associations that represent flying disc sports and their athletes in over 111 countries. WFDF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the International University Sports Federation (FISU). It is a member of the International World Games Association (IWGA), the Association of Recognized International Federations (ARISF), the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA), and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE). It is also a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency Code. WFDF is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, USA.
For more information contact:
Samantha Kehl
Director of Communications and Social Media
World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF)
Mobile: +1-309-531-7343
email: [email protected]