Tug of war
Tug of war is two teams of eight pulling on opposite ends of one rope. Outdoors on grass, a pull is won when a side marker on the rope crosses the centre line; indoors, when the rope's middle marker crosses a side line. Teams compete in weight classes set for the eight pullers together, such as 560 to 680 kg for senior men.
Checked 20 October 2026
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How long
Teams of eight; a pull is won when the marker crosses the line
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1TWIF World Outdoor ChampionshipsThe sport's world title.Every 2 years (to check)
- 2TWIF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe indoor world title.Every 2 years (to check)
- 3The World Games (tug of war)The multi-sport Games for sports outside the Olympics.Every 4 years · Holder: Birmingham 2022
India
No Indian medal appears in the saved World Championships tables [the World Championships page].
- TWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): No medal in the saved tables
- TWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): No medal in the saved tables
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- Chinese TaipeiTWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): 22 golds, 12 silvers, 5 bronzes (latest 2024); Tug of war at the World Games: 4 golds (latest 2017)
- SwitzerlandTWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): 16 golds, 14 silvers, 4 bronzes (latest 2024); Tug of war at the World Games: 9 golds, 8 silvers, 1 bronze (latest 2022)
- NetherlandsTWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): 9 golds, 17 silvers, 12 bronzes (latest 2024); Tug of war at the World Games: 5 golds, 4 silvers, 3 bronzes (latest 2017)
- Basque CountryTWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): 6 golds, 16 silvers, 16 bronzes (latest 2024)
- ScotlandTWIF World Championships (outdoor and indoor): 10 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze (latest 2023); Tug of war at the World Games: 1 silver (latest 2001)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), Rules Manual, 2026 |
| International federation | Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) |
| In India | Tug of War Federation of India: India is listed as a TWIF member in the rules manual; not on the MYAS list for 2026 as published |
Where and when it is played
Outdoors on level grass or indoors on a mat, with a rope 36 metres long. The big events: the TWIF World Outdoor and World Indoor Championships, each about every two years.