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Tug of War |
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 Tug
of war, tug o' war, or tug 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
centimeters in circumference). The rope is marked with a "centre line" and two
markings four meters 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 organizes 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
- On October 25, 1997 1600 people in Taiwan participated in a massive game
of tug of war in celebration of Retrocession Day. The strain snapped the rope,
and the resulting whiplash tore the arms off of two men.
- 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 Ootsunahiki (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.
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