The Tug of War Association’s English National Outdoor Tug of War Championships is to be held at Bridlington Rugby Club on Saturday, 17th June 2023. The event will feature weight classes for men’s teams, ladies’ teams, junior teams and mixed teams. The teams will be competing for gold, silver and bronze medals at the event, with the winning teams qualifying to represent England at the World Championships in Switzerland in September and the British and Irish Championships being held in Scotland in August.
Teams from all over England will take part in the event, including some who represented England at the 2022 World Championships in the Netherlands, where the England team came away with 2 silver and 3 bronze medals from the international events with these medals being won by England’s junior, under 23 and senior teams. The event will also showcase the Lincoln and Bedford Ladies tug of war teams, who won gold medals for Great Britain in the tug of war events at the 2022 World Games held in the USA. The World Games are held every four years for sports recognized by the IOC that are not part of the full Olympic Programme.
More local interest in the event will come in the form of York Tug of War team who won 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals at the 2022 National Championships and represented England at their first World Championships in 2022 in the mens 720kg division where they achieved 7th place. They will be hoping to go one medal better this time around.
The event is being supported by Bridlington Rugby Club and the Yorkshire Coast Business Improvement District. The Bridlington Rugby Club provides a great venue for the event with excellent facilities, and the Yorkshire Coast Business Improvement District recognizes the positive impact that the event will have on the local economy.
“We are excited to host the English National Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Bridlington this year,” said a spokesperson for Bridlington Rugby Club. “We have been preparing for this event for months and look forward to welcoming the teams and spectators to our club. We are confident that the event will be a huge success and wish all the teams the best of luck.”
“We are thrilled to support the English National Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Bridlington this year, which will bring a boost to the local economy and showcase the town as a fantastic destination for sporting events. We look forward to welcoming visitors from across the country and wish all the teams the best of luck.” – Martyn Coltman, Director of Yorkshire Coast BID., spokesperson for the Yorkshire Coast Business Improvement District.
“We are delighted bring he English National Outdoor Tug of War Championships to the Yorkshire Coast, and we expect a high level of competition this year. The championships showcase the strength, teamwork, and skill of the participating teams, and we’re excited to see what they can achieve. We’re confident that the Bridlington Rugby Club and the whole town will provide an excellent venue for the event, and we wish all the teams the best of luck.” – Alan Knott, spokesperson for the Tug of War Association.
The event promises to be a great day out for all the family with plenty of food and drink available, as well as other activities on the day.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION:
• The Tug of War Association was founded in 1958 with the objective of developing Tug of War at all levels.
• Tug of War is contested between teams of 8 people, and events are held in weight categories.
• Tug of War events take place for mens teams, womens teams, mixed teams and youth teams.
• The Tug of War Association is a recognised sport’s governing body by Sport England. The sport of Tug of War is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• The Tug of War Association are members of the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) who organise World and European Championships bi-annually.
• England are hosting the 2025 European Championships in Nottingham
For more information about the event and the sport of Tug of War, please visit the Tug of War Association web site at www.tugofwar.co.uk or follow the Tug of War Association on social media by searching for @englandtugofwar
