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 member associations which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in 114 countries. The organization holds recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee, and is a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), GAISF, and the International World Games Association (IWGA). WFDF operates as a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, U.S.
Membership WFDF was formed in 1985 as a not-for-profit corporation and has member associations representing flying disc sports in countries across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and South America. The federation has distinguishes three categories of membership: national members, provisional members and associate members.
National members are defined as: flying disc associations that is the governing body for Disc Games solely within a single national boundary.
To be approved as a national member by WFDF, an organization must: Be organized with bylaws acceptable to WFDF; Operate under the rules, policies, and programs which are in compliance with all agreements to which WFDF is a party; Be open to participation without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, politics, sex, or sexual orientation; Represent a minimum of 50 individual disc players who are members of its organization (“Constituents”) in one or more Disc Sports; Hold an annual meeting and/or have another representative mechanism for its Constituents to elect a board of directors; Fairly represent the interests of Constituents for all Disc Games within the country; and Pay dues to WFDF as established by the Congress, and report annually regarding the number of its Constituents per the requirements as established by the Board of Directors (the “Census”).
Provisional members are those flying disc associations that function as the governing body for all disc games within a national boundary but are yet to meet the criteria outlined by WFDF to be a National Member.
Associate members are those with ties to disc sports but are not national governing bodies. They may include not-for-profit organizations that provide services to disc sports or which represent particular disc sports organizations.
Members by regions
There are currently 122 members (96 national members and 26 provisional members) and two associate members, each belonging to their respective continental associations.
Continental associations are the central organizing bodies recognized by WFDF for disc sport events and promotion within a region continental region. These associations are responsible for coordinating matters of common interest of the members of their continent with WFDF.
Number Region Countries (regular and provisional members)1 Africa 15+4=192 Asia-Pacific 24+8=323 Europe 40+6=464 Americas 18+7=25Total World 122
African Flying Disc Federation (AAFDF) There are 15 WFDF regular members and 4 provisional members in Africa:Further information: African Flying Disc Federation website
Regular members: Botswana – Gaborone Ultimate Community Ivory Coast – Fédération Ivoirienne De Frisbee Democratic Republic of Congo – Federation Congolaise de Disque Volant Egypt – Egyptian Ultimate Players Association Ethiopia – Ethiopia Ultimate Haiti – Haiti Flying Disc Madagascar – Malagasy Ultimate Disc League Mali – Association Malienne de Flying Disc Mauritius – Mauritius Ultimate Frisbee Morocco – The Moroccan Flying Disc Association Mozambique – Mozambique Ultimate Nigeria – Abuja Ultimate Frisbee Group Senegal – Senegal Ultimate South Africa – South African Flying Disc Association Uganda – Uganda Ultimate Frisbee Association Zimbabwe – HIS group
Provisional members: Kenya – Kenya Flying Disc Association Malawi – Malawi Flying Disc Federation Rwanda – Rwanda Ultimate Frisbee Association Tanzania – Tanzanian Flying Disc Association
Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation (AOFDF) There are 26 WFDF national members and 9 provisional members in Asia and Oceania:Asia Oceania Flying Disc Federation website
National members: Australia – Australian Flying Disc Association China – Chinese Flying Disc Administrative Committee Guam – Guam Ultimate For All Hong Kong – Flying Disc Federation of Hong Kong, China India – Flying Disc Sports Federation India Indonesia – Indonesian Ultimate Players Association Iran – Flying Disc Association of the Islamic Republic of Iran Japan – Japan Flying Disc Association South Korea – Korea Ultimate Players Association Kuwait – Kuwait Flying Disc Federation Kyrgyzstan – Frisbee Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic Lebanon – Lebanese Flying Disc Association Malaysia – Malaysia Flying Disc Association Maldives – Maldives Flying Disc Federation Mongolia – Mongolian Flying Disc Federation New Zealand – New Zealand Ultimate Palestine – Palestine Flying Disc Association Philippines – Philippine Flying Disc Association Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Flying Disc Committee Singapore – Singapore Flying Disc Association Chinese Taipei – Chinese Taipei Flying Disc Association Thailand – Flying Disc Association of Thailand Turkmenistan – Turkmenistan Flying Disc Public Union United Arab Emirates – United Arab Ultimate Association Vietnam – Hanoi Ultimate Club
Provisional members: Afghanistan – Afghanistan Frisbee Federation Bahrain – Bahrain Flying Disc Association Brunei – Brunei Flying Disc Association Cambodia – Cambodia Flying Disc Association Pakistan – Pakistan Flying Disc Federation Jordan – Jordan Flying Disc Federation Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan Flying Disc Federation Qatar – Qatar Ultimate Frisbee Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan Flying Disc Association
European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF) and European Ultimate Federation (EUF) There are 40 WFDF national members, 4 provisional members, and 2 suspended members in Europe:European Flying Disc Federation website
National members: Albania – Albania Flying Disc Federation Austria – Österreichischer Frisbee-Sport Verband Azerbaijan – Ultimate Azerbaijan Players Union Belgium – Belgian Flying Disc Federation Czech Republic – Czech Association for Flying Disc Denmark – Dansk Frisbee Sport Union Estonia – Estonian Flying Disc Federation Finland – Finnish Flying Disc Association France – Fédération Flying Disc France Georgia – Georgian Flying Disc Federation Germany – Deutscher Frisbeesport-Verband Great Britain – UK Ultimate Greece – Greece Hellas Sport for All Hungary – Hungarian Flying Disc Federation Iceland – Frisbee Sport Federation of Iceland Ireland – Irish Flying Disc Association Israel – Israeli Flying Discs Association Italy – Federazione Italiana Giochi e Sport Tradizionali Latvia – Latvian Flying Disc Federation Lithuania – Lithuanian Flying Disc Federation Luxembourg – Luxembourg Flying Disc Federation Malta – Malta Sport for All Netherlands – Nederlandse Frisbee Bond Norway – Norwegian Federations for American Sports Poland – Polskie Stowarzyszenie Graczy Ultimate Portugal – Associação Portuguesa de Ultimate e Desportos de Disco Serbia – Serbian Ultimate Frisbee Slovakia – Slovak Association of Frisbee Slovenia – Frizbi zveza Slovenije Spain – Federación Española de Disco Volador Sweden – Swedish Flying Disc Federation Switzerland – Swiss Disc Sports Turkey – Turkish Flying Disc Association Ukraine – Ukrainian Flying Disk Federation
Provisional members: Armenia – Armenian National Frisbee Federation Bulgaria – Bulgarian Flying Disc Federation Croatia – Croatian Flying Disc Federation Moldova – Moldovan Flying Disc Federation Romania – Romanian Flying Disc Association
Suspended members: Belarus – Belarusian Flying Disc Federation Russia – Russian Flying Disc Federation
Pan American Flying Disc Federation (PAFDF) There are 17 WFDF national members and 7 provisional members in the Americas:
National members: Argentina – Asociación de Deportes del Disco Volador de la Republica Argentina Barbados – Barbados Hat Bermuda – Bermuda Ultimate Frisbee Federation Canada – Ultimate Canada Colombia – Federación Colombiana de Disco Volador Cuba – Cuba Ultimate Frisbee Dominican Republic – Asociacion Dominicana de Jugadores de Ultimate Ecuador – Ecuador Ultimate El Salvador – San Salvador Ultimate Frisbee Guatemala – Guatemala City Ultimate Frisbee Jamaica – Jamaica Ultimate Mexico – Ultimate México Panama – Asociacion de Ultimate – Frisbee de Panamá Peru – Peru Ultimate Puerto Rico – Extreme Flydisk Ultimate Association United States – USA Ultimate Venezuela – Venezuelan Ultimate Association
Provisional members: Bolivia – Bolivian Flying Disc Association Cayman Islands – Cayman Islands Ultimate Association Chile – Asociación Chilena de Ultimate Costa Rica – Costa Rican Ultimate Frisbee Team Nicaragua – Federación de Disco Volador de Nicaragua Uruguay – Ultimate Frisbee Uruguay US Virgin Islands – US Virgin Islands Ultimate
History Flying disc sport rose with the invention of plastic and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. The early years of international flying disc play were dominated by the influence of the International Frisbee Association (IFA) which was founded by Ed Headrick 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 Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner touring Canada in 1972. Note: In 1972 Ken and Jim were retained by Irwin Toy ( Frisbee distributing licensee ) to perform at special community and sporting events across Canada. 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.