Paganello facts for kids
The Beach Ultimate World Cup, often called Paganello, is a super fun beach ultimate tournament. It happens every year during the Easter weekend in Rimini, a beautiful city in northern Italy.
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What is Paganello?
Paganello started way back in 1991. It takes place on a long stretch of beach, about 500 meters (1,640 feet) long! In 2023, a huge number of people joined in. There were 136 teams and 1,600 athletes playing! They competed in four groups: mixed teams, women's teams, open teams, and junior teams.
The tournament kicks off on Maundy Thursday with a big welcome party. Athletes get free food like pasta and sardines. The event ends on Easter Monday with exciting finals and an awards ceremony. There are also cool cultural shows along Rimini's beach during the tournament.
Green Paganello
Since 2008, there's been a special effort called Green Paganello. This project tries to make the tournament more eco-friendly. They use things like frisbees made from organic materials. They also work on better ways to manage water and waste. Plus, they use renewable energy to power parts of the event.
How Do They Compete?
There are two main types of competitions at Paganello. One is the main Frisbee tournament. The other is the Freestyle competition, which is more about amazing tricks and acrobatics.
The Frisbee Tournament
In the Frisbee tournament, two teams play against each other. Each team has five players on the field. The playing area is about 75 meters (246 feet) long and 25 meters (82 feet) wide. The goal is to pass the disc into the opponent's scoring area.
A cool thing about this sport is that there's no physical contact between players. Also, there are no referees! Players solve any arguments themselves. This is part of a special rule called the "Spirit of the Game" (Spirito del Gioco). It means players are expected to be fair and respectful.
The Freestyle Competition
The Freestyle tournament is held on pitches closer to the sea. In this competition, players pass the frisbee around while listening to music. It's all about showing off cool moves and tricks with the disc, often in time with the beat!
