Thousands to participate in the ‘ultimate’ flying disc competition in Warren County

Mason High School and the Lebanon Sports Complex will host thousands of athletes, volunteers and spectators from across the world in the World Flying Disc Federation’s 11th World Ultimate Club Championships starting later this month.

More than 3,000 athletes are traveling from 36 different countries to compete, according to the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Countries include Canada, Italy, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan.

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“It’s going to be really cool,” said Brian Huffman, the director of sports enterprises for WCCVB. “You’re going to hear so many different languages, and it’s just going to be a world city.”

The event will start off at 4 p.m. on July 14 at Mason’s Atrium Stadium, 7450 Mason Montgomery Road, with a Parade of Nations showcasing all of the participants. The first game of the tournament begins at 5 p.m. with USA’s team Wild Card versus GRUT from the Netherlands.

The regular competition will continue throughout the week at the Lebanon Sports Complex, 900 McClure Road, with semifinals and bronze medal matches taking place on Friday, July 20. The Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Division Finals will be hosted again at Atrium Stadium as well as a closing ceremony on July 21.

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Assistant City Manager Jennifer Heft said the community is excited to host part of the event, not only to introduce the world to Mason but also vice versa.

“It’s kind of cool to get the opportunity to introduce residents to unique sports and have them come out,” Heft said. “It’s extraordinary.”

The Championship is expected to have an impact of $4 million for the local economy, according to the WCCVB press release. Though the organization has never hosted an event of this magnitude, they were excited about the challenge.

Planning for the tournament began almost three years ago when the Cincinnati Ultimate Players Association approached WCCVB about hosting the championship in an attempt to bring the sport farther across the world.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into Ultimate and seeing it kind of grow to the level it meets our mission,” Huffman said. “It showcases our destination on a world stage.”

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