From ancient Greece to ancient China, the fields of the Vikings to the carvings upon Angkor Wat, for centuries man has pulled upon rope. Now Britain has been crowned top of the pullers, after a tug of war team took first place in the World Games in Chengdu.
The sport, one of the world’s most ancient disciplines, is among dozens recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and showcased in the World Games in the southwestern Chinese city. With a squad ranging in age from 23 to 72, Britain’s men’s team held on tightly to grapple their way to a gold medal on Saturday.
The team — consisting of Will Lee, Gaz Shaw, Jack Routley, Dan Kenny, Lee Robinson, Dan Nichols, Joe Birch, Paul Taylor, Ian Murphy and Richard Keightley, and their coach, Tim Lee — beat the reigning champions Switzerland to clinch victory in a tense and muddy battle.
Shaw, a bricklayer, said the victory was testament to the team’s discipline and training, which had included cycling and weighted runs to gain strength for the match.
“In the second pull of the final against Switzerland, I thought we might lose because they were so strong, but I told myself to hang in there and give it everything,” he said.
Summing up the contest, Routley said simply: “Best sport ever.”
“I’ve only been competitively pulling for three years but have always been around tug of war from a young age,” he said. “I started off with my local young farmers’ club in Anstey in Devon, and it’s blossomed from there.”
Will Lee, centre, and his Great Britain team-mates on their way to victory against the Swiss pullers in Chengdu …
LI BO/XINHUA/ALAMY
… to the joy of supporters in the stands
REUTERS/EDGAR SU
Will Lee, 37, pulled at the front of the team for Britain, after taking up the sport in 2003. He said: “I have done tug of war for 24 years and have won many national medals, European medals and world medals. But to have won this World Games gold is the best achievement of my career.”
The UK’s Tug of War Association (Towa) brings together 45 tug of war clubs from around Britain. This year, Team GB was represented by the Lincoln Men’s team and Melton Mowbray Women’s. Once selected to compete internationally, both are permitted to bring in athletes, known as pullers, from other teams.
The British women’s team defeat the US to take fifth place at the event
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The women’s team were knocked out before the semi-finals but beat Team USA in a pull-off to take fifth place in difficult and muddy conditions. “It may not be that visible from home but the rain has been relentless, the ropes are absolutely soaked and terrible to attempt to hold on to and the digs are suitable for ducks, but they kept their spirit and put in 100 per cent effort,” Towa said.
The World Games, which is organised by the IOC, showcases sports recognised by the organisation that do not make the cut for the summer Olympic Games, including tug of war, softball, orienteering, squash and more.
Most tug of war players are recruited either from young farmers’ clubs or from the military. Alan Knott, from Towa, explained: “We have men’s, women’s and juniors’. And then there are lots of teams in the military, young farmers’ clubs have lots of teams as well.
“As it’s an amateur sport, everyone has a day job doing something else: farming, building, working in an office. We have every walk of life, really.”
The British team celebrate their gold medals on the podium
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Britain’s youngest puller was Routley, 23, while Keightley, 74, travelled with the team as a reserve. “It’s quite a broad age range,” Knott said. “It’s not a sport where you have to sprint like an 18-year-old. There’s much more longevity to it.”
Crossfit and weights are popular for training, as is running with a weighted vest. Knott added: “If you want a sport that’s a full-body workout, if you don’t want to just be in a gym on your own throwing weights around, then come along and get involved.”
A team is made up of eight pullers, a coach and a trainer. During the matches — known as pulls — the coach is permitted into the arena with the team, and an accredited judge oversees the match.
The rules are straightforward: a team must pull the opposing team four metres from a fixed centre point.
Despite its association with school sports days, competitive tug of war is a serious sport and athletes train heavily to build up the required strength. Since 1958, Towa has acted as governing body for the sport in the UK, and it is recognised by Sport England and the IOC.
The Liverpool police tug of war team won the silver medal for Great Britain in the 1908 Olympic Games
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Between 1900 and 1920, it was part of the Olympic Games, during which time Great Britain won two golds, two silvers and one bronze medal — the highest tally of any nation.
Now that they are reigning world champions, Britain’s pullers will be defending their position on home turf at the Tug of War World Championships in Nottingham next month.