RAF Athletics Association

Tug of War History

The origins of tug of war are clouded in the mist of time. It is known that tug of war was practised in ancient Egypt and China.
In Korea, local villages used tug of war to settle disputes for centuries and it may come as a surprise to hear that tug of war is depicted on one of the few commemorative coins, the 5,000 won, minted for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
The first chronicled history of tug of war in England was between villages in the Fenns of Norfolk in the 16th century.
In England at the start of the 1900s, Tug of War was pulled under the AAAs.
In 1924 Tug of War made its final appearance after a brief period in the Olympics.
England won gold, with the MET Police taking silver and the Liverpool Police bronze.
In 1958 the Tug of War Association was formed and it included 15 clubs from England, Scotland, Wales & NI.
In 1971 Wales formed their own Association.
In 1972 Scotland & NI formed their own Associations.
The weight classes changed to metric in 1971 with the 100st, becoming 640 kilos.
England's most successful team were Wood Treatment Bosley, who won the AAAs Championships every year from 1959 - 1978.
The Tug of War International Federation was formed in 1968.
There are now Inter-County, National, UK, European, World Championships and World Cup competitions.