Tug of War at the Olympic Games
The Legacy of Rope Pulling as an Olympic Sport
Tug of War, the sport where two teams of people pull a rope in opposite directions, used to be an Olympic sport. As amazing as that may sound, it wasn’t even a one-off appearance; this show of strength had combatants competing at no less than five Olympic Games.
Origins of Tug of War
It is said that Tug of War or rope pulling dates back to ancient times, when legend has it that the Sun and Moon played Tug of War over light and darkness. Therefore, it is somewhat fitting that an ancient activity made it’s way onto the modern Olympic schedule at the turn of 20th century. It is now widely accepted that the ancient Egyptians and Chinese were the main protagonists of what was believed to be a royal sport. A far cry from the image one may get when they think of Tug of War today, an image of working-class men covered in mud and dirt while pulling with all their might on a piece of rope.
As with many things, myths have become common ground in the history of Tug of War and as the years went on stories of heroism and danger were seemingly fabricated throughout Europe, particularly in Scandinavia. Tales of how Viking warriors would pull animal skins over an open pit of fire in preparation for battle escalated around the Nordic states. However, the loser’s fate surely couldn’t have left them with much life left in them, if any at all.
Tug of War Rules
Tug of War consists of two teams, each containing eight competitors who position themselves at each end of the rope, facing each other. The rope is marked with a “centre line” corresponding with a mark on the ground. With two more marks equal-distant on either side of the centre. Once the contest begins, the teams pull the rope so that the marking closest to their opponent is pulled across the centre, thus gaining victory.
Tug of War Obtains Olympic Status
The first Olympiad where Tug of War appeared was in Paris at the 1900 Games and the sport remained in the Olympics at every Games staged, up to and including the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Throughout that time four different countries were crowned kings of the rope, an honour bestowed upon Great Britain on a record two occasions, while the U.S.A and Sweden hold one title to their name. Aside from these victors a rather strange team won the very first Tug of War competition in the 1900 Olympics, when the winning team consisted of both Swedes and Danes.
So, if you are out and see a few children partaking in harmless fun that involves two teams pulling on opposite ends of a piece of rope, just think what they could’ve achieved at the start of the last century. Perhaps, they could have been Olympic gold medallists, but they could still go onto great things, as Tug of War is a sport that holds a place at the World Games, a sporting showcase held every four years for sports that are not on the Olympic programme.
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