The bronze-medal match became one of the main talking points from WJUC
July 30, 2024 by Benjamin Rees in News with 0 comments
The bronze medal match of WJUC was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and in truth, I hope never to see again. The game, between Singapore and Hungary, was a rematch of a pool play encounter in which both sides awarded lower-than-average Spirit of the Game scores. The third-place game eventually concluded comfortably over three hours after the first whistle blew thanks to numerous extended stoppages, including multiple spirit timeouts, with a clear breakdown of trust between two opponents. Fouls calls, travel calls1 and one long discussion over a potential dangerous play seemed to drag out and the presence of Game Advisors did not seem to smooth of those discussions. The game went on for so long that one Game Advisor had to leave to attend another fixture and was replaced.
It’s a shame that what should be a feel-good story of two smaller nations battling it out for a world podium place has such a sour taste because of the manner in which the game, and the tournament at large, unfolded. It feels even worse considering the age of the players involved, and questions should and must be asked about the leadership and oversight that allows things to play out as they did. Hungary emerged as 8-7 winners when all was said and done. You can, should you wish to see how it descended first hand, watch a replay of the game with an Ultiworld all-access subscription.
On the morning of finals day, the World Flying Disc Federation put out the following press release:
“On Friday 26 July, after a meeting with WFDF officials and a review of the situation, it was the unanimous decision of the WFDF 2024 World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC) Tournament Rules Group (TRG) that the Hungarian Mixed team be suspended from WJUC 2024 effective immediately and that the bronze medal for the Mixed division not be awarded during the medal ceremony.
“The TRG determined that despite warnings from officials the Hungarian delegation did not conduct themselves according to Spirit of the Game during the Mixed division bronze medal match between Hungary and Singapore. And, that conduct both prior to and during that game was inappropriate and a clear violation of the WFDF Code of Conduct. The TRG came to these decisions after thoughtful and detailed discussions and a review of the Hungarian Mixed team’s behavior throughout the tournament.
“The TRG further recommended that a Conduct Committee and/or the WFDF Board of Directors review the conduct of the Hungarian delegation at WJUC 2024 and consider if further sanctions should be taken. The Hungarian team or individual athletes have 30 days to challenge the decision made by the TRG, should they choose to do so.”
This article will be updated following any updates on WFDF’s decision-making process.
One potential game-winning score for Singapore was called back on a travel. ↩
