Nottingham is to host the 2025 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships on 4 – 7 September 2025. Contestants at the event will begin to arrive in the area from 1 September and will spend four days battling it out at international club level on the Thursday and Friday (4 and 5 September) with full international competitions taking place on the Saturday and Sunday of the championship (6 and 7 September).
The tournament will be open to men’s teams, women’s teams, and mixed teams who will be competing for gold, silver and bronze medals in different weight categories. The event will also stage the 2025 World Junior and Under 23 Tug of War Championships, where again, there will be weight classes for men’s, women’s and mixed teams in these age categories.
The highlight of outdoor tug of war is the clash of sheer power between the two teams. Athletes seek an optimal foothold in the ground by digging in their heels and using that as their pivot, seek to apply force to the opposing team using a combination of pulling the rope with the upper body, and pushing their legs into the ground to try and move the opposition.
The event is expected to draw around 1,500 – 2,000 participants from at least 20 countries.
The four days of competition will take place on the University of Nottingham’s Highfields Sports Complex, and the competitors will be housed at the main University Campus, although a number of visitors to the championships are expected to use other local hotels across the City. The venue will also be easily accessible to spectators with direct trams available from the City Centre to the venue.
Alan Knott, spokesman for the English Tug of War Association, who are organising the event on behalf of the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) said: “We are delighted that we have been able to secure the European Tug of War Championships in the City of Nottingham. It gives us a great opportunity of showcasing our sport to a wide audience.
“We have hosted the European Tug of War Championships (which take place every two years) in England before, and this is the second time that we will be bringing a major tug of war competition to Nottingham, having last hosted the European Tug of War Championships in Nottingham way back in 1973.
“It is a great opportunity for people to see a top level tug of war competition, something which people in the area may not have seen before – there is certainly a lot more to tug of war than what people normally think, and preparing for this event takes weeks, months and years of hard work and preparation.
“The World Outdoor Tug of War Championships recently took place in Mannheim, Germany, and England tug of war teams came away with a total of 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals across the club and international competitions, so we are hopeful that we can benefit from home advantage and come away with some European medals on home soil in Nottingham with the backing of lots of supporters from the area.
“The Tug of War Association is confident that participants from many countries will extend their stay in the area to go sight-seeing or visit the various attractions available in Nottingham and the surrounding areas, so hopefully our participants and spectators will provide a boost for the area during the championship and that everyone in the City will make them welcome”.
You can follow the event on social media (Facebook and Instagram) by searching for @tugofwar2025
*Main image @tugofwar2025 the England ladies 500kg team in action.
