Tug-of-War Was Featured at Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920?

Claim:

Tug-of-war was featured at the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920.

Rating:

On Aug. 11, 2024, a Reddit user claimed tug-of-war, where two teams pull against each other at opposite ends of a rope, was featured at the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 1920. 

(Reddit u/Minifig81)

“They should bring it back,” the most popular comment under the Reddit post read, while another user responded: “It’s super dangerous unfortunately. Lots of tension in the rope and things go bad if it breaks.”

Similar versions of the claim also appeared elsewhere on social media in 2024, such as on X and Instagram.

The event did indeed feature at the Olympic Games in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920; therefore, we rated this claim “True.”

An article titled “Last Games appearance for tug of war” was published on the official website of the Olympic Games. It said tug-of-war made five appearances at the international sporting event:

The origins of tug of war, a sport with two opposing teams in which each tries to drag the other towards them, are lost in the mists of time. It was an Olympic sport on five occasions, on the programme of the Games in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and lastly 1920, in Antwerp. The rules are simple: two teams of eight athletes all hold tight to the two ends of a long rope. Two lines are drawn on the ground, around four or five metres apart. The aim is to drag the opposing team over the line on their side, or make them fall over. Each round consists of two pulls. 

Additionally, in March 2016, the verified X account of the Olympics posted a video of a tug-of-war event at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. The caption read: “Tug of War was contested in the Olympics from Paris 1900 to Antwerp 1920″:

The Olympics’ official YouTube channel also shared the footage in March 2022, with a caption that read: “Fun fact: Tug of war was an Olympic sport from 1900 – 1920.”

In March 2016, Getty Images published a photograph of a tug-of-war match at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium: 

(Getty Images)

The image’s description read: “1920: England team beats USA team in tug of war, during the 1920 Summer Olympics, Antwerp, Belgium. This was the last Olympics with tug of war as an event.”

Sources