Tug of War International Federation

Tug-of-war was contested as part of the Olympic track & field athletics programme at Paris 1900, St. Louis 1904, the 1906 Intercalated Games, London 1908, Stockholm 1912, and Paris 1920, always only with men’s team events. During the last part of its Olympic history, the sport was governed by the Internationaler Weltverband für Schwerathletik (later known as Internationaler Amateur-Weltverband für Schwerathletik).

Currently, the sport is governed internationally by the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), which was founded in September 1960, in London, Great Britain, with two members: England and Sweden. The federation currently holds two global competitions for both men and women, the TWIF Outdoor World Championships and the TWIF Indoor World Championships. Both competitions had their inaugural editions held in 2014, with the outdoor event staged in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, and the indoor event staged in Castlebar, Ireland.

Tug-of-war is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the TWIF is a member of the Association of the IOC-Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF). As of January 2026, the federation has 76 Member Associations. The TWIF’s headquarters is located in Jellum, in the Netherlands, and its current president is Ireland’s Dan McCarthy.