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Another sport with considerable tradition: tug of war as a competitive match of strength between two teams was practiced as early as 500 B.C. by Greek athletes. It was also considered an ideal physical training and a perfect workout as basis for many other sports. Nowadays, while still being a sport of almost unequalled simplicity in terms of its object and governing rules, tug of war competitions are staged outdoors and indoors. The 'pulling' in men's and women's divisions is classified based on the total body weight of eight athletes on each of the two opposing teams, ensuring that they are evenly matched in that respect.
The teams of eight members are captained by the lead person - the first in line - and the anchor: the last man or woman who may wrap the rope around his or her body once.
The highlight of outdoor tug of war is the clash of sheer power between the two teams. Athletes seek an optimal foothold in the ground by digging in their heels and, using that as their pivot, pull the rope with all the strength they're capable of mustering.
Obviously, this technique doesn't work for the indoor events: leaning too far back would cause the athletes to slip, even on the specially designed rubber mats. Hence they try to steadily move back - step by step - to avoid loss of pulling power. Indoor matches require more clomplex techniques and tactics than those in the outdoor tug of war.
The key is for the rope to be pulled in a straight line from the lead to the anchor. The team pulling the center of the rope four meters from the starting position is declared the winner. The rope is between 33,5 and 36m in length, 10 to 12,5cm in diameter, and of hemp.
Winners 2001:
Great Britain (1 Gold)
The Netherlands (1 Gold)
Federations:
Nat. www.drtv-sport.de
Int. www.tugofwar-twif.org
Under the patronage of Sponsor:
Schlachthof und Märkte Duisburg GmbH
www.smd-gmbh.org
Dates (without engagement)
Qualifications
Venue:
Duisburg
men: Sportpark Wedau - Dreieckswiese
16.07. - 17.07.2005
www.regattabahn-duisburg.de
women (indoor): Sportschule Wedau - Mehrzweckhalle
17.07.2005
Sportschule Wedau
