Ultimate Frisbee in Indian is more that flying discs and fun in the sun

India Ultimate not too long ago hosted the National Open and Women’s Championship 2025 for frisbee in Bengaluru. The occasion noticed 39 groups from 10 cities, that includes over 700 athletes competing in the Open, Women’s and Challenger Open divisions.

Primarily performed on grass or sand, at each the world stage and in India, the motion takes place on a stretch of land roughly the size and breadth of a soccer area. Two rectangle areas at each ends of the area, are the finish zones and scoring space.

Alex Sebastian, CEO of India Ultimate headquartered in Bengaluru, highlighted the technicalities of the recreation. “You have have to pass a disc between your teammates and get it in the end zone to score. It is a lot like American football with a mix of basketball and football in terms of how the game is played.”

The recreation additionally permits for substitution of the total group with a recent set of gamers on the area.

Though the guidelines for grass and seashore (as the ones performed on sand are referred to) championships are related, there are some variations; a group for grass wants seven gamers, whereas 5 gamers comprise a seashore group. Similarly, a seashore recreation goes on for 45 minutes with the winners scoring 13 factors, whereas video games on grass have a 100-minute length with 15 factors wanted to win.

Self adequate

In Ultimate, every participant is additionally a referee. “If there is a foul or something that requires referee intervention, the players discuss it among themselves and come to a conclusion on what has to be done. They have 30 seconds to resolve this — an exercise that imparts a lot of life skills to players,” says Alex.

At the finish of a match, each groups sit collectively in a “spirit circle” to briefly focus on or resolve points if any. Each group additionally charges the different on 5 completely different parameters comparable to communication, constructive mindset and self management, which is also referred to as the “spirit score”.

At the finish of a match, the Spirit of The Game or SOTG Award is conferred on a group based mostly on the spirit rating they got by their opponents.

A recreation of Ultimate Frisbee at the National Championships in progress
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Late begin and challenges

India Ultimate was established in 2012 as the registered Flying Disc Sports Federation for India. It is a volunteer and player-run organisation, helmed by both lively or retired gamers. There are virtually 80 golf equipment throughout the nation with gamers in the age group of 14 to 36 years.

“We are at a nascent stage compared to many other countries which took up this sport earlier. We are trying to build a base right now with a five-year plan; hopefully, we will be ready in time to qualify for the 2029 World Games and build a case for the 2032 Sydney Olympics,” says Alex.

“Ultimate frisbee is still relatively unknown in India. We need more exposure — media coverage and social media campaigns, as well as integration into school and college sports programs,” says coach Mrinalini Siddhartha from Coimbatore.

“To raise awareness about Ultimate, we need to start at the grassroots — student programs, community outreach, and consistent media coverage. However, for real, sustained growth, official recognition of the sport by the government is crucial. It would provide access to quality sports facilities, funding, and logistical support for tournaments, especially at local and state levels,” says Bengaluru-based athlete and coach Prasanna Krishna Poojary.

Athlete and coach Nandan Ravi Latha from Chennai agrees, and provides, “Government support will help athletes to train and compete without worrying about funding. This will definitely put them in a much more competitive frame of mind.“

According to Hina Nainani, Communications and Partnerships lead at India Ultimate Ahmedabad, getting a field to host the championship is quite difficult as public grounds cannot be dedicated for the regular practice of this sport. “In India, getting that kind of space to play is quite challenging, so we had to host the championships about 30-35 kilometres outside the city,” added Alex.

A recreation of Ultimate Frisbee at the National Championships in progress
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Goa-based coach Nathan Chowgule says, “A dedicated space would help players and state teams by giving them a place to practice regularly and hone their skills. It would benefit them no end.”

Although there are small sponsorships, most home or worldwide tournaments are self-funded by the gamers. As a consequence, a whole lot of proficient gamers lose out on showcasing their expertise at world occasions.

Mixed bag

Being a non-contact sport, frisbee additionally permits for gamers of all genders to take part, however whereas that is democratic in idea, actuality throws a harsh mild on what transpires on the area at occasions.

“Mixed-gender play is a unique quality of this game and we’ve come a long way from the initial 6:1 ratio to having equal gender representation on the field. However, as a community, we must actively ensure equality — this means intentional disc distribution, supporting women in leadership roles, and holding teams accountable for truly inclusive play,” says Prasanna.

Hina Nainani highlighted the inclusive practices in India Ultimate, “In mixed-gender, the female players are mostly namesake, while the men lead. India Ultimate changed it to have one male and one female captain. Being a self-refereed sport, it gives women an opportunity to speak for themselves, as well as the confidence to be leaders”.

A recreation of Ultimate Frisbee at the National Championships in progress
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Highlighting the struggles in combined gender play, Mrinalini factors out “Women in mixed-gender Ultimate face a number of challenges such as needing to prove themselves constantly or receiving different levels of feedback compared to men.”

There is nonetheless a cultural and social shift required in how groups strategy gender fairness on the area, Mrinalini says. “We need to keep having these conversations, find and build male-allies, be intentional about how we train and play, and ensure that women, have the opportunities and support to take on leadership roles.”

In 2025, the Men’s and Women’s groups will symbolize India at the Asian Championships to be held at Japan in September. India may even be represented by the Mixed Team at the World Beach Championships to be held in Portugal in November this yr.