Tug-of-war champions compete – competition begins in Mannheim

It’s about teamwork, feeling for the ground and strength: starting today (9 a.m.) at the Tug of War World Championship in Mannheim, teams from 25 countries will compete against each other. In addition to numerous nations from Europe, there are also four African, four Asian and the USA nations. Eight members of each team pull on the rope – the aim is to get the opponent four meters over the line.

“It’s all about strength and endurance, of course, and technique is particularly important in competitive sports,” says Corsin Wörner, tug-of-war sports director at the German Lawn Strength Sports and Tug-of-War Association. A total of 25 tug-of-war clubs belong to the association, most of which are in southern Germany. There are 2,000 to 2,500 tug-of-war participants, around 20 percent of whom are women.

Timo Nopper from Simonswald near Freiburg is particularly enthusiastic about the sport because of the team spirit: “The solidarity on the rope is really something else,” says the 28-year-old. “If one person can’t do it anymore, everyone else suffers.” The teams also travel a lot, for example to Switzerland, the Netherlands or England.

According to Wörner, the athletes train all year round. In winter they spend a lot of time in the weight room. Before the World Championships, they work more and more on the rope. “So that in the summer you are on the rope three or four times a week, but then you also do your strength training.” They pull without gloves. Calluses on the hands cannot be avoided, says Wörner – and the forearms will also get tired at some point.

Theresa Schwegler from Göppingen has been practicing the sport for 13 years. “Tug of war is often associated with overweight, heavy men pulling on a rope,” says the 27-year-old. “For us, that has always been a motivation to show that it is a sport that women can do too.” A sport that uses all of your muscles – and where you also have to do a lot of other things to be able to use the right technique.

“Every team develops its own technique, but it is important that the rope is the same height.” To do this, everyone has to have the same step, the same pressure on the foot. “We have to move the same foot the whole time and use the same amount of force to be able to function at all – that fascinates me too, because there are eight women on the rope who have to do the same thing.”

For 18-year-old Ben Zürn from Kirchzarten near Freiburg, knowing the ground is crucial for success in tug-of-war. “If the ground is deep, you have to be able to stand well, and if the ground is hard, you have to be fast and powerful.” You always have to adapt well. And: “Then you just have to be the stronger one – mentally, physically.”

According to Wörner, the Germans are one of the top teams. Last year, for example, the U23 team became world champions in Switzerland. The World Cup in Mannheim runs until Sunday.