7 September 2021
The Olympics, and now the Paralympics, are done and dusted until 2024. Already, we have been informed of the sports that will be debuted at the next Olympics, and those that will be cut from the program.
Breakdancing gets added as a new Olympic sport, while karate, baseball and softball are out. The addition of breakdancing, in conjunction with the debut of skateboarding, sporting climbing and surfing in Tokyo, are aimed at ensuring the Olympics remain ‘relevant’ and attractive to the young demographic, whose spending will drive advertising dollars and thus amp up the value of broadcasting rights.
Fair enough. Any assessment of the merit of any sport is subjective. However, the Olympic movement should remember that it has survived and prospered by honouring its past, as well as harnessing the power of the future. With that in mind, I am here to advocate for the reinstatement to Olympic status of a sport, last seen at the Olympics over 100 years ago. A sport of grit, technique and power: the great sport of tug-of-war.
A quick study of the rules of tug of war – to be found at https://tugofwar-twif.org/2016/08/05/rules/ – shows this sport to be one catering to people of many nations, male and female (as well as mixed teams), and a diversity of weight divisions. It can be staged indoors or outdoors. It is a sport with an international federation, national bodies and is even part of the worldwide regime for drug testing.
No doubt, dear reader, you have thought that this sport is merely two teams pulling a rope, but that’s like saying that weightlifting is just lifting a weighted bar above your head. Just as with weightlifting, the method of tug of war is not a free-for-all, as each team member – or puller – must ensure that they pull in accordance with strict technical requirements regarding grip, and prohibitions against sitting, leaning, impeding rope flow and creating footholds. Not only that, should a team of pullers seek advantage by creating a stalemate, the judge may, of his or her own motion, declare a ‘no pull’.
Where there are technical rules and the prospect of infringement, disqualifications and ‘no pulls’, there is also the potential for controversy, and controversy makes for great TV, which is after all the lifeblood of the modern Olympics. The advent of the expert commentator and enhanced replay and roll technology will only enhance the viewers’ appreciation and enjoyment of the sport. I can foresee commentary such as:
“Was that a side-step, Reg?”; or
“I think there’s going to be a ‘no-pull’ declared here!”; or
“We’re going into a pull-off for the gold!”,
plus detailed analysis of anchoring techniques, camera shots of the coaches, discussions as to whether the team trainer is guilty of coaching during the pull, and the wisdom of the technical judging, means that we the viewer will be on the edge of our seat. Add to this the joys of the commentators explaining the 24 different signals used by the central judge to give commands, cautions and infringements – all no doubt with slight differences depending on the nationality of the judge, and the TV experience is a sensory overload.
As well as being great TV, staging the tug of war at the Olympics is easy: you can utilise any of the grass pitches, or an indoor hall, set aside for other sports: a sport that facilitates re-purposing – how modern is that?!
There is, in my view, an even more compelling reason for the reintroduction of tug of war, and that is what might be called the ‘democratisation’ of sport. One of the most refreshing features of the last two or three Olympics is the decreasing domination of given sports by particular countries or regions, and the wider spread of countries winning medals. Putting aside medals, my enjoyment of the Olympics is greatly enhanced by seeing a wider range of countries who are competitive in their chosen sports, rather than merely making up the numbers. The relative simplicity of tug of war means that there are limited entry barriers for new countries wanting to have a go: no need for athletics stadium or a swimming pool, and no need for equipment and kit. All you need is a squad of eight pullers and a rope!
I look forward to competitions between teams from different parts of the world, and with those competitions the potential for new rivalries to emerge (and, a memo to sports promoters and marketers, what potential that might bring). Imagine, in a future Olympics, the tug of war for gold in the heavyweight division, between the ‘unstoppable’ force from Fiji versus the ‘immovable objects’ from Bulgaria. With that, the ongoing relevance and future of the Olympics is assured.
