United States Olympic Committee recognises USA Ultimate

In Official Communication, Press Release * Official Communication by WFDF

WFDF is pleased to announce that USA Ultimate (USAU) was recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on 10 June 2014 as a USOC Recognized Sport Organization.

“We are extremely excited to hear the news about the formal recognition of USA Ultimate, WFDF’s largest member association, by the United States Olympic Committee,” stated WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “This is an important acknowledgement of the successful role USAU plays in organizing the entire gamut of Ultimate events in the US from elite competition to grass roots development.  It is also another confirmation from the Olympic Movement that our focus on ‘spirit of the game’ is seen as a selling point and not a hindrance to acceptance in the world of sport.”

USA Ultimate joins the growing number of member associations of WFDF which are recognized by their NOCs, including Chinese Taipei, Finland, Hong Kong China, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and the United States.

“We anticipate that we will be able to make further such announcements in the near future and are confident that this increasing integration of our national members in the Olympic Movement through their NOCs will strengthen our case for full recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 2015,” added Rauch.  WFDF’s permanent recognition will be voted upon during the 128th IOC Session to be held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, being held from July 30 to August 3, 2015.

Dr. Tom Crawford, USAU Chief Executive Officer (CEO), stated “After two years of working our way through the application process, and many hours of working closely with the United States Olympic Committee, we are thrilled to be welcomed into the Olympic family.  We are now sitting at the table with all of the top sports organizations in the USA which will not only help us grow our sport, but will help continue to build our growing reputation as a world class sports organization and enhance the status of our sport in the U.S.  We will also continue to work closely with WFDF on their relationship with the IOC and other international opportunities.”