Nobody was safe from breathing in the potent chemicals that sport so often creates on the biggest of stages.

Somehow, in someway, the right dominoes fell at the right time to cause the 2022 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Ultimate Club Championships to be sent off in the grandest of fashions.

Universe point, or otherwise known as golden goal in other sports, had been triggered following the United States' Fury's stirring equaliser against Colombia’s Revolution and everybody in attendance was rooted to the spot.

The crowd was gripped to their seats.

The evermore dedicated volunteers watched on too, glued to the scenes that were unfolding.

After almost 10 long, agonising minutes since Fury’s leveller, Revolution snatched the winner to acquire the women's division title.

Having only been truly introduced to this sport and discipline for the first time nine days ago, the adrenaline and thrill left me with the fondest of impressions.

I initially did not know what to expect when I arrived at the Atrium Stadium for the Opening Ceremony last Saturday (July 23).

Everyone who has jollied on holiday to a beach or travelled to a park may recall at some point throwing a disc, typically known as a frisbee, with someone.

Yet, flying disc the sport, or in this case ultimate, is less well-known and this was certainly the case for myself.

This is largely because flying disc is a marginalised sport in Britain, meaning it has low exposure and faces a tough challenge competing against the beasts of football, rugby, cricket, Formula One, golf and others.

But this did not faze my curiosity when I arrived, and it only grew after Japan's MUD and Canada's Traffic introduced me to the quality that was on offer at the championships.

For those who may not know, ultimate was formed in the late 1960s in the US and it is the most traditional flying disc format.

It is played between two teams of seven and, similarly to American football, teams score a goal if an athlete catches the disc in the opposing team’s end zone.

Like hockey, you have dedicated defensive and offensive lines and, comparably to a serve in tennis, every possession counts.

You do not want your possession to be broken or else the match could easily slip from your fingertips.

The tempo is electric, the cross-field passes are audacious and stunning, and players put their bodies on the line by diving for the disc to either force a turnover or to save a possession.

The sport is played with the highest respect between the teams, underpinned by its number one rule - Spirit of the Game.

The self-officiated sport requires players to be honest and fair every step of the way, and it typically tends to be successful.

A culture is perpetuated from the top, with one example being the tournament’s Spirit of the Game director Nicole Bulos leading a presentation to team captains prior to the start of the competition.

It is a remarkable difference to sports like football or basketball where players attempt to manipulate the rules and officials for their own gain.

With each passing day, as I talked to more people and digested greater information, I sensed ultimate is a curious case of a sport having more potential than many on the outside may give it credit for.

Perception is everything and it is one of the challenges facing the WFDF in its quest to attract more sponsor, advertisement and television interest.

Brian Gisel, the organisation’s vice-president and chair of the Ultimate Committee, recognises this and believes its visibility through multi-sport events, such as The World Games, is one way it will naturally transform its image by inspiring future generations due to the greater media attention.

"Our access to multiple events that have a higher media impact do that for sure," he told insidethegames.

"It is a matter of more people playing.

"We are not a new sport now but, when you are, one of the things you don't have is people who played it when they were young, middle-aged and are older and still interested in it in their later years.

"We are now onto the third, maybe the fourth, generation of ultimate players.

"My personal experience is that when I was younger and playing ultimate in my 20s, I think my parents watched me play one time in my entire life.

"Now we host junior tournaments locally in British Columbia in Canada, where I am from, and the number of parents, some of whom were ultimate players and many of whom were not, coming out to support is growing tremendously."

Gisel's point is substantiated when the volunteers at the World Ultimate Club Championships showcased varying generations of ultimate fans coming out to support the event.

The sport is being passed on from generation to generation but settling for its current audience crop is far from the WFDF's mind.

It so far has 103 member associations, and it is targeting 120 by the end of 2023 while also seeking to grow its foundations in all its current federations.

Gisel repeated that continued growth and development across the globe are at the heart of the WFDF's plan for the future.

In his mind, establishing and expanding grassroots is fundamental to breaking into new markets and increasing visibility through major sporting events is critical to rising up the ladder in larger markets, such as the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Furthering ultimate to such an extent is crucial to the ambition of being part of the Olympic Games, though the journey is extensive, complicated and greatly unpredictable.

The WFDF views the mixed gender "Ultimate 4's” discipline as a worthy Olympic sport but it is competing against countless others who have the same outlook for their sport.

As these debates go on, Gisel exhibits the optimistic belief that "interest in sports changes", therefore offering others like ultimate to ascend around the world.

However, he admits that this may not always be relevant to his discipline.

"Our hope will be that everywhere around the world, coaches, educators, organisations and sport organisations will always recognise what people, and in particular youth, want to do," he commented.

"If your entire schools want to be playing football, rugby or cricket, they should be doing that for sure.

"There shouldn't be any barriers.

"If your entire school wants to be playing ultimate, or other emerging sports, there shouldn't be any barriers to that either."

He added: "Down the road if our sport isn't as fun or interesting as some other new sport, then that one should take over as well."

For now, simply growing ultimate is Gisel's aim and it is hoped that their exponential expansion will show the undeniable potential and legitimacy it has.

He concluded: "That [growth] is how we get the institutions to finally say 'this is a real, definite sport'."