Olympic Tug of War

A brief history of a past (and future?) Olympic event

Olympic events fluctuate constantly, starting with only nine at the first modern games in Paris in 1898, swelling to twenty-eight in Beijing in 2008, and reportedly falling twenty-six in London's 2012 games. Sports come and go, according to organisers' whims; London, for example, is sheddng both baseball and softball. Some are stripped because of declining popularity – few today are skilled roque players (a version of croquet) but it was a 1904 Olympic event. Golf, however, remains a popular sport, but was only featured in two Olympics, 1900 (Paris) and 1904 (St Louis).

The most surprising event of Olympic yesteryear, however, is Tug of War. Most of us remember dragging a long rope from the school gymnasium, forming teams, and at the referee's signal, pulling as hard as we could. Winners would drag the losing team across a pre-drawn line – although contests in mud meant that the line became a puddle. Few can deny this is a fun, challenging and convenient sport, since equipment needs are fairly limited. But Olympian? Olympic sports should be universal, traditional, and have a sense of history. Can anyone say that about Tug of War?

Actually, yes. Tug of War dates back thousands of years to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece and China. In China's Spring and Autumn period (8th - 5th century BCE), naval warships would attach a rope to an enemy ship, pulling it close and holding it to prevent its escape. During the Tang (618 – 907) and Song (960 - 1280) Dynasties, Tug of War was recreation for courtiers and peasants alike. England's first competition was in the 1600s, between two villages, and 19th century sailors used to play on the decks of their ships to keep fit. Captain Richard Woodget of the famous merchant clipper Cutty Sark was particularly fond of the sport, and encouraged regular contests between his crew. When Tug of War made its last Olympic appearance (1920, Antwerp) Great Britain took home the gold medal.

Tug of War remains popular today in culturally and geographically diverse countries such as Latvia, Iran, Mongolia and Laos, who, along with China and the UK, all have official Tug of War associations. The Tug Of War International Federation has international competitions; this September, Sweden holds the 2008 Tug of War International Championship. The sport also makes regular appearances every four years at the World Games, next held in Taipei in 2009. Whether or not Tug of War is a game worthy of the Olympics is a question for 2016 and beyond. What is certain is that the popularity of the sport will continue on both children's playgrounds and in international sports arenas, well into the future.

奥运比赛的项目历来经常变化。1898年第一届巴黎奥运会只有九个比赛项目，2008年项目的总数增加到28项，而英国2012年伦敦奥运将缩减到26项，取消的项目是棒球和垒球。比赛项目来来往往，生杀予夺大权则掌握在主办方手中。

悉数奥运史上众多黯然退场的体育项目，有的是因为不再流行，比如槌球（roque），曾是1904年奥运会的比赛项目，但今天已经很少有人会玩了。而在今天愈加风靡的高尔夫，也曾经是1900年巴黎奥运会和1904年圣露易斯奥运会的比赛项目，却依然无缘重返奥运大家庭。

如果说最令人惊奇的前奥运项目，莫过于拔河。若非查经据典的一番考证，陡然让人难以将之与奥运这一至高国际赛事联系在一起。实在，“人不可貌相”，不知拔河是否也有“没落贵族”的惆怅。

拔河，应该是小时候最普遍的游戏了。一群孩子蜂拥在学校的操场上，一根长绳，分列两队，各拉住一边，在裁判的指挥下分别向自己身后的方向全力以赴，当绳子中间的红绸被拉过提前设定的界线，就宣告该队赢得比赛。

拔河在民间是广受欢迎，因为这项运动既好玩，又有挑战性，还很方便，对设施的要求不高。

但对于奥运会呢？奥运项目需要大众化，传统性还要有历史感，拔河是否“上档次”呢？答案是肯定的。

拔河的历史可以追溯到几千年前的文明古国时期。在中国的春秋时期，海军的战船就用长绳套住敌船，然后把敌船拉近，防止敌人逃跑。唐宋时期，拔河是中国宫廷和民间的重要娱乐项目。而在英国，拔河的历史开始于1600年，当时两个村子之间举行了拔河比赛。19世纪，海员们曾在甲板上把拔河当作一种锻炼。当时著名的商船船长Richard Woodget特别喜欢拔河运动，他经常鼓励自己的水手们进行拔河比赛。

今天，拔河仍然是一项老少皆宜的运动，在多民族和地域广阔的国家仍然很流行，如中国，英国，拉脱维亚，蒙古，伊朗，老挝等。这些国家都有自己的拔河协会。国际拔河协会甚至每年还举办锦标赛，2008年9月，瑞典将主办国际拔河锦标赛。拔河也是四年一度的世界体育锦标赛的常客，如2009年的台湾世锦赛。

至于，拔河这一项目是否可以重新回到奥运大家庭，要等到2016年后才能见分晓。但可以肯定的是，拔河将继续活跃在孩子们的操场上和国际体育的赛场中，给大家带来快乐。