Paganello facts for kids
The Beach Ultimate World Cup, also known as Paganello, is a super fun beach ultimate tournament. It happens every year during the Easter weekend in Rimini, a city in northern Italy.
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, many people joined in! There were 136 teams and 1,600 athletes. They competed in four different groups: mixed teams, women's teams, open teams (for anyone), and junior teams (for younger players).
The tournament kicks off on the Thursday before Easter with a welcome party. Athletes get free food like sardines and pasta, plus drinks. The event finishes on Easter Monday with the final games and an awards ceremony. There are also cool cultural shows happening along Rimini's beach during the tournament.
Since 2008, Paganello has tried to be more eco-friendly with its "Green Paganello" project. This means they use things like frisbees made from organic materials. They also work hard to manage water and waste better and use clean energy.
How Do They Play?
There are two main types of competitions at Paganello: the Frisbee tournament and the Freestyle competition.
The Frisbee Tournament
In the Frisbee tournament, two teams play against each other. Each team has five players. The playing area is about 75 meters (246 feet) long and 25 meters (82 feet) wide. The goal is to pass the frisbee into the opponent's scoring area.
What's really cool about this game is that there's no physical contact between players. Also, there are no referees! If players disagree about something, they sort it out themselves. This is called the "Spirit of the Game" (Spirito del Gioco). It teaches players to be fair and respectful.
The Freestyle Competition
The Freestyle competition is different. It's held on parts of the beach closer to the water. In this event, players pass the frisbee around in amazing ways, often doing tricks and flips, all while moving to music! It's very acrobatic and creative.
