India’s first Ultimate Frisbee Tournament for the development sector
It has been two years since we lost Arun on August 8th, 2022, and we still struggle with finding closure. The day started normally with the Ultimate Frisbee team practicing for India’s first inter-state championship. We were with Arun until 7 PM, but within hours, we learned he hadn’t reached home. The next 24 hours were a blur — searching CCTV footage, visiting police stations, and speaking to auto drivers. Our worst fears were confirmed when we found Arun’s tattered T-shirt on the railway tracks, where an accident had been reported.
The experience was shattering. To cope, we threw ourselves into preparing the state team for the tournament later that month.
Accepting Arun’s death was incredibly difficult. The most humble, grateful, and respectful person we knew was suddenly gone. Unable to bring him back, we decided to honour his memory by organizing an Ultimate Frisbee tournament focused on the spirit of the game. We named it “Chilly-O,” a term Arun had picked up during one of his first tournaments. It meant to ‘chill’ while playing offense, but Arun in his Arun-ness adopted it as his personal cheer, regardless of the team’s stance as offense or defense.
We hosted the first Chilly-O tournament in 2023 to keep Arun’s spirit alive. It featured 12 teams — 8 from Lucknow (trained by Project KHEL), 2 from Madhya Pradesh, and 2 from Delhi. The player and registration fees along with matching amounts by us, amounted to Rs. 40,000, which we gave to Arun’s family. We also established a yearly scholarship in Arun’s memory, awarded to an individual whose values closely matched his.
In 2023, the scholarship provided a cycle to an athlete who was always punctual despite walking to school and Frisbee practice. Though new to our FrisB(arabar) program, he was helpful to both younger and senior players.
In 2024, we aimed to make Chilly-O more purpose-driven, reflecting what Arun would have wanted. We were inspired by a memory from the COVID relief efforts when Arun, despite his family’s struggles, shared the dry ration he received from us with his neighbour in need. Motivated by his generosity, we included Chilly-O in our proposals to funders. Recognizing that the high costs of participating in Ultimate Frisbee tournaments — travel, stay, food, and registration fees — can be a burden for development sector organizations, we decided to invite B teams from certain organizations to ensure broader participation. This approach allowed us to honour Arun’s spirit while making the tournament more inclusive and accessible.
This year, Chilly-O was India’s first Development Sector Ultimate Frisbee Tournament –
- No registration fee
- No team fees
- Sponsored accommodation at a youth hostel
- Lunch provided on both days of the tournament
- Refreshments, in the form of lassi, buttermilk, and bananas were provided to all participants
- Water bottles from Decathlon were gifted to every individual participant
- We distributed stickers for MSP (Most Spirited Player) and MVP (Most Valued Player) awardees for all matches that happened at Chilly-O
- A shuttle bus was provided from the hostel to the ground and back
- We also had numerous sideline games, with toffees and chocolates for winners
All of this at no cost to the participating players or organizations!
In terms of numbers, we had –
- 14 teams
- Joining us from 4 different states
- From 5 different NGOs, excluding Project KHEL
- 230 + athletes
- 39 matches
- 8 teams received medals and trophies for their tournament and spirit performance
This year, the scholarship was awarded to two boys from our life skills program who embody the positive change we’ve fostered in understanding and practicing masculinity. One boy had to quit school to support his family and, as an influential peer leader, aspires to become a Frisbee player. However, the lack of a cycle limits his mobility between home, work, and our Frisbee program. The other boy, whose parents have high aspirations for him, struggles to balance school fees with their basic needs. He has long wanted a new cycle, but his parents couldn’t afford one.
We are immensely grateful to all our funders who believed in our vision and made this possible. Now we look forward to making Chilly-O 2025 even more fun and inclusive for more teams.