Tug of war

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This article is about the sport. For the Paul McCartney album, see Tug of War. For the Upstairs, Downstairs episode, see Tug of War (Upstairs, Downstairs).

Tug of war

Tug of war, tug o' war, or tug war, also known as rope pulling, is a sport that directly puts two teams against each other in a test of strength.

Two teams of eight, whose total mass must not exceed a maximum weight determined for the class, align themselves at the end of a rope (approximately 10 centimetres in circumference). The rope is marked with a "center line" and two markings for meters either side of the center line. The teams start with the rope's center line directly above a line marked on the ground, and once the contest (the "pull") has commenced, attempt to pull the other team such that the marking on the rope closest to their opponent crosses the centre line, or the opponents commit a foul (such as a team member sitting or falling down).

A contest may feature a moat in a neutral zone, usually of mud or softened ground, which eliminates players who cross the zone and/or fall in.

There are tug of war clubs in many countries, and both men and women participate.

Tug of war competition in 1904 Summer Olympics

The sport was part of the Olympic Games from 1900 until 1920, but has not been included since. The sport is contested in the World Games. The Tug of War International Federation TWIF [1] organises World Championships for nation teams biannually, for both indoor and outdoor contests, and a similar competition for club teams. In England the sport is catered for by the Tug of War Association (formed in 1958), and the Tug of War Federation of Great Britain (formed in 1984).

Tug of war

The term may be used as a simile to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, e.g. in a war or between two departments of a company. Often, there is a third party who is as the rope in a tug o' war.

1 History
2 Notes
3 See also
4 Tug of war teams
5 External links

History

The origins of tug of war are not clearly known. But there is evidence that tug of war was practiced in ancient China and Egypt^{[citation needed]}.

Notes

The rope used for a tug of war in Uiryeong Keunjulttaenggigi (January 15th in Chinese calendar) is 251 meters long, 4.5 meters in circumference and weighs 54.5 metric tons. [2]
The rope used for a tug of war in Naha Oōtsunahiki (October 10th) is 200 meters long and weighs more than 40 metric tons.
A classic prank for a side willing to forfeit a game is for the team to suddenly all let go of the rope upon commencement of the match, causing the other side to suddenly topple en masse at the overbalance as seen in the film Revenge of the Nerds.
A game of tug-of-war, on tilted platforms, was used on the US and UK Gladiators series. In the US series, the game ended after 30 seconds, after which if a player had the "flag" in his or her favour, the contender won the game.

Tug of war teams

Image:Harvard tug of war team 1888.jpg

Harvard Tug of War team, 1888.

Bosley wood treament TOW - is one of the best teams in the UK and have been for over 60 years.^{[citation needed]}

Mountain View TOW - A professional team, based in County Louth, Ireland
Dorton Dons - village team based in Dorton in Buckinghamshire, England
Carndonagh TOW - Have some strong pullers, based in County Donegal, Ireland
Congleton Tug of War Club English Tug of War , based in Congleton, Cheshire, England.
St Pats TOW - Shoe type will not be a deciding factor in the World Indoor Tug of War Championships 2008 according to Leo who believes that age has caught up with the golden generation and agrees that pulls over 2 minutes will be difficult for himself and puller number 7 *[3]
Holland Tug of War Club(Established 1970),from Barton under Needwood in Staffordshire,England,hold a Guinness World Record for Tug of War Endurance
Sandhurst Tug of War Club - The 560kg World Champions based in Sandhurst, Berkshire
Brisbane Bulldogs Based in Brisbane, Australia
Australian Tug of War Association ATOWA, Australia
Mölndals Dragkampklubb Mölndals Tug of war Club, Sweden

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tug of war

2007 European Outdoor Tug of War ChampionshipsTaking place in Minehead, Somerset, England - September 20 - 23
The Tug of War AssociationLink to the English Tug of War Association
(http://www.tugofwarfederation.co.uk/ The Tug of War Federation of Great Britain
Tug of War accident :Two men each lost an arm in a grisly tug of war contest. (Graphic scene, viewer discretion is advised)
Life's Tug of War An interesting presentation on Life's Tug of War
Scottish tug of war Link to the Scottish Tug o war association
Irish Tug of War Association Link to the Irish Tug of war association
Dutch Tug of War Association Link to the Dutch Tug of war association
Swedish Tug of War Association Link to the Swedish Tug of War association
(http://hollandtugofwar.co.uk / Link to Holland Tug of War club,Staffs. England
Congleton Tug of War Club Link to Congleton Tug of War Club based in Cheshire
United States Tug-of-War Association United States Tug-of-War Association home page