WFDF announces that the inaugural WFDF 2019 Asian-Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships, in association with BULA, will be held in Shirahama, Japan

In Events, Upcoming Events, WFDF News by WFDF

WFDF is pleased to announce that the WFDF 2019 Asia Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships, in association with BULA (AOBUC) will be hosted by the town of Shirahama, Japan, from Thursday 13th June to Sunday 16th June, 2019. The event will feature national and club Beach Ultimate teams in Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed divisions with a possibility of adding masters divisions if enough interest.

The successful bid came from the Japan Flying Disc Association (JFDA) supported by the Town of Shirahama. The organization is headed by Prof. Fumio Morooka, the President of JFDA, with Yuta Saito heading up the TOC.

“WFDF is proud to partner with JFDA on this inaugural Beach Ultimate event in the Asian Oceanic region. JFDA did a fantastic job of hosting the 2012 WUGC event and we are confident they will again prepare a great event for the players, spectators and volunteers,”said WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch. “It is exciting to add another region to the Beach Ultimate Continental event calendar, and we hope to see it grow over the years in a similar trend to the European event, which is likely to see over 80 teams participate this season.”

Fumio Morooka, President of Japan Flying Disc Association, stated that “JFDA is extremely excited to be hosting the first WFDF 2019 Asia Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships, in association with BULA, in Japan, where Beach Ultimate has been played for 20 years. Japan hosted WUGC 2012 in Sakai six years ago and contributed to create a huge milestone for the disc sports community with all participants. We are looking forward to welcoming athletes from across Asia and Oceania to our country and together helping to create the future of Beach Ultimate in the region.”

“We are delighted to be hosting the WFDF 2019 Asia Oceanic Beach Ultimate Championships, in association with BULA. An absolutely beautiful and truly clean beach is located in Shirahama in Wakayama Province. We believe that elite athletes participating in WFDF events have the huge power to spread the value of disc sports. We would like to organize the tournament where outstanding plays based on the Spirit of the Game and the well-organized event synchronize to enhance the value of our sports. We All Love Flying Discs,” commented JFDA Executive Director and AOBUC 2019 Event Director Yuta Saito.

“Beach Ultimate has been growing rapidly in the region and it is great to see that there is now enough activity to organize a continental championship,” said Patrick van der Valk, BULA President and CEO. “This will help accelerate recognition of this amazing, competitive team sport, played by men and women — a sport where players are their own referees, and where the enjoyment of play for all athletes is a key component.”

WFDF expects strong attendance from many of the 20+ member National Federations located in the region. The event is open to all National and Club teams who are interested in attending.