Ultimate – originally called Ultimate Frisbee – is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today. Close to five million players in over 40 countries around the world play it. India alone has 2,000 players across 13 cities.
But what is ultimate frisbee? Two teams play each other, the objective being to pass the frisbee amongst themselves till it can be received in the opposing team's end zone, which amounts to scoring a point.
Perhaps the best thing about the sport is that it needs no investment in equipment. Anyone can play it, and it is mandatory that girls and boys play it together.
Because of this, Ultimate has become a way for teenagers and young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to come together and forget their troubles for a while. The film175 Grams, which won the Sundance short film challenge in 2014, documents Fly Wild, one such ultimate frisbee team in Chennai.
The sport has been gaining popularity in India since 2012, when the Bangalore Ultimate Open, the largest Indian tournament, was held. Earlier this year, India's first women's frisbee team attempted to crowdfund its way to London for the World Championship. They were able to raise Rs 35 lakhs, seven lakhs short of their goal of Rs 42 lakhs.
In 2015, at the Under-23 World Frisbee Championship, an Indian team participated with a mixed contingent for the first time. The athletes came from Surat, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Auroville, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi. Here's the team taking on Ireland. India won 15-13.
