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Tug of war or tug o' war, also known as rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits 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 "centre line" and two markings four metres either side of the centre line. The teams start with the rope's centre 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).
There are tug of war clubs in many countries, and both men and women participate.
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) organises World Championships for nation teams biannually, for both indoor and outdoor contests, and a similar competition for club teams. 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.
Trivia
- 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. *
- The rope used for a tug of war in Naha Oōtsunahiki (September 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.
See also
Tug of War teams
Dorton Dons - village team based in Dorton in Buckinghamshire, England
External links
- College Tug of War Documentary: Tugs Untied
- TWIF (or here to avoid very large Flash animation)
- Tug-o-War for Children
- Tug Wars - Tug of War
- Two men each lost an arm in a grisly tug of war contest. Report and photograph
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"Tug of war"