20.8.2003

The next World Ultimate and Guts National Championships will be held in Turku, Finland on August 1st to August 8th, 2004. The title will be pursued in divisions for men, women, mixed, masters, and the junior divisions of boys and girls under 20. National teams from more than 20 countries totaling more than 1500 athletes will participate in the tournament.

Ultimate is the largest of all flying disc sports. It is played with teams of seven people on a grass field which is approximately the size of a football pitch. In terms of tactics, the sport bears similarities to American football, but is played with a continuous and faster pace, much like soccer or rugby. Physical contact, however, is not allowed. A goal is scored by catching the disc in the end zone. A major difference to other sports is that the players act as referees themselves on all levels of competition, including the World Championships. Good spirit is always an inherent part of the game.

The Finnish Flying Disc Association (FFDA) -- a central authority of all flying disc sports in Finland -- hosts the tournament. The FFDA was founded in 1978 and is a member of the Finnish Sports Federation. The World Ultimate and Guts Championships are sanctioned by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF). The World Ultimate and Guts Championships have been organized since 1983. In addition to Finland, Ireland and USA bid for the 2004 tournament. Finland is hosting them for the first time.

Finland will participate in all divisions, and is currently the reigning European champion in the women's division and a serious contender for the world title in the men's and junior divisions. USA, the home country of ultimate, has won the most world titles since the creation of the WFDF. Other top teams include Sweden, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Japan.

The tournament will feature over 400 games on 19 fields in Turku, Kaarina and Raisio. The finals will be played at the Veritas stadium in Turku on August 7th.

More information:

Aleksi Grym, Tournament Director, tel. +358 50 67560, aleksi-at-wugc2004.org
Juha Jalovaara, Chairman of FFDA, tel. +358 40 556 9150, juha-at-wugc2004.org
Marja Jokinen, Communications Officer, tel. +358 50 581 0264, marja-at-wugc2004.org