| Discipline of | Tug-Of-War |
|---|---|
| Participants | 129 |
| NOCs | 10 |
| Competitions held | 5 (Venues) |
| Distinct events | 1 |
| IF | Tug of War International Federation, Internationaler Kraftsportverband |
In 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, and 1920, tug-of-war was contested as a part of the track & field athletics programme, but the sport has not returned to the Olympics since. Great Britain topped the medal table, with five medals. Three British athletes – Frederick Humphreys, Edwin Mills, and James Shepherd – won three Olympic tug-of-war medals and two golds.
Despite never again appearing at the Olympic Games, outdoor tug-of-war contests have never failed to be included in the programme of the World Games since the 1981 inaugural edition of the competition. The 1981-2017 editions only featured outdoor events for men but, since 2022, the World Games programme also includes women and mixed contests. Separate indoor tug-of war events were also contested in seven editions of the World Games, from 1993-2017: in the first two editions, as an invitational sport; in 2001, as an official sport for men but still as an invitational sport for women; and, from 2005 forward, solely as a women’s event.
The sport is governed internationally by the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), which was founded in September 1960, in London, England, with two members: England and Sweden. From 1912 to 1921, tug-of-war had been governed by the Internationaler Weltverband für Schwerathletik (later known as the Internationaler Amateur-Weltverband für Schwerathletik, and as the Internationaler Kraftsportverband), which also oversaw boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and weight throwing. As of January 2026, the TWIF has 76 member associations. The organization is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is a member of the Association of the IOC-Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF).
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain |  GBR |
2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| United States |  USA |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Mixed team |  MIX |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden |  SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| France |  FRA |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands |  NED |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Belgium |  BEL |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany |  GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece |  GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden | SWE |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Humphreys | GBR |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Edwin Mills | GBR |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| James Shepherd | GBR |
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| John Sewell | GBR |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Edgar Aabye |  DEN |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| George Canning | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Frederick Goodfellow | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| William Hirons | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fred Holmes | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Albert Ireton | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Frederick Merriman | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Harry Stiff | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ernest Thorne | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alfred Read | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Arvid Andersson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Adolf Bergman | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Johan Edman | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Erik Fredriksson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| August Gustafsson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carl Jonsson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Erik Larsson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Herbert Lindström | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sid Johnson | USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Conrad Magnusson | USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oscar Olsen |  NOR USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Henry Seiling | USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Eugen Schmidt | DEN |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Charles Winckler | DEN |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Edmond Barrett | GBR IRL |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| August Nilsson | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Karl Gustaf Staaf | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gustaf Söderström | SWE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pat Flanagan | USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Krämer | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Julius Wagner | GER SUI |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Willy Dörr | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Karl Kaltenbach | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Wilhelm Ritzenhoff | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Wilhelm Born | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Heinrich Rondi | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Heinrich Schneidereit | GER |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgios Papachristou | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spyros Vellas | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Konstantinos Lazaros | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spyros Lazaros | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgios Psachos | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Vasilios Psachos | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Panagiotis Trivoulidis | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Antonios Tsitas | GRE |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|
| Name | Gender | Still contested? | Times held? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tug-Of-War | Men | 8 |
