Labelled Olimate, the tournament is spread over two days for the first time. The format is going to be loose-mixed, requiring a minimum 1 or 2 female players on the pitch. Between 8 and 10 teams, including two from England and one from the Netherlands will compete for the Olimate trophy.
Ultimate Frisbee has really taken off in the Grand Duchy over the last five years or so. The sport is still young and rules vary from tournament to tournament, but the basics are the same--players throw the Frisbee to a team mate with the aim of making progress downfield to eventually catch the disc in an end zone, much like American football but without the crunching tackles.
It can be very exciting. So a team needs good technicians who can throw the disc accurately, often using wrist technique to get the Frisbee to curve in flight or spin back downwards at just the right time. It also needs fast players who can run and catch the disc, often hurling themselves in flight like a wide receiver. A game lasts on average around 60 minutes, so endurance is one of the key factors in the sport.
“If you’re going to play a sport as an adult as a hobby, it’s great to have mixed teams so it’s not so testosterone driven,” says Brian Bulman, secretary of the Luxembourg Flying Disc Federation. “There’s a really nice spirit of fair play and camaraderie.” Go check it out for yourself this weekend in Niederkorn in the commune of Differdange and you might end up playing in next year’s tournament.