Games of Tug-of-War in Thailand

In Thailand, the public is constantly aware of the political games of tug-of-war that take place between this party and that party over what bill to pass or not to pass, over who is better at spending the taxpayers’ money, or over who can block more streets and who can create utter chaos and total standstill in Bangkok. A few years ago, a Chinese newspaper even published a brilliant cartoon of two ropes squeezing a map of Thailand to death and, although we were not shown who were pulling the ropes, it was quite clear and very humourous, as one rope was yellow and the other one was red, which offered a direct connection to the two political sides of Thai politics.

Of course, then again, there is also the genuine tug-of-war between elephants and men, a fun activity which takes place in Surin Province during the Surin Elephant Round-up each year, at a highly popular fair among both locals and foreign tourists. Every year, in the third week of November, at a series of elephant-related shows and games, over seventy men try to win in a game of tug-of-war against an elephant which can weigh as much as five tons!

But how about tug-of-war, the actual sport itself, which has origins going all the way back to ancient Egypt and ancient China and which, hundreds of years later, in the early 16^th century, also became quite popular in Western Europe? Obviously, due to its physical nature and show of strength, the game was intended to be a way of training and maintaining the fitness of the regular armies. While the initial meaning of the phrase “tug-of-war” referred to a real struggle for military supremacy, the meaning changed in the 19th century to denote what modern dictionaries now refer to as a contest in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope with the team that is dragged across a central line, loses the bout.

As with all recognized sports, tug-of-war players must follow a set of rules. These regulations might not mean that much in a match between friends who have found a long rope on the beach and decided to have a playful go at tug-of-war, but in international events such as the World Games or the World Championships, the rules make sure no team gets an unfair advantage over their opponent. Thus, a team is made up of eight players whose total mass must correspond to the weight class they compete in. During the tug itself, players cannot lower their elbow below the knee or pull the rope over their shoulder.

Tug-of-war was even a sport within the Olympic Games until 1920, but it seems that there are very small chances of it ever being reinstalled to its former status in the modern games. The Tug-of-War International Federation recognizes over 60 international associations and federations, one of which is the Tug-of-War Thailand Association.

Surprisingly, all but three Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Timor Leste) are members of the Tug-of-War International Federation (TWIF) and there has definitely been a push in the region to raise awareness of this sport and attract more players and spectators. After all, if tug-of-war will ever be accepted back into the Olympic Games, it will have to have not only a strong international federation lobbying for it, but also have a huge public following to physically support it.

Earlier this year, Bangkok was even the host of a Tug-of-War Developmental Course for Coaches and Judges where over 100 delegates from nine Asian countries were drilled by a coach from England under the supervision of the president of TWIF. A few months later, the Thai Association organized at Fashion Island in Bangkok the very first National Tug-of-War Championship. The event saw the participation of 115 teams and the most promising male and female players were invited to join the Thai national team.

According to Rawipas Klamthawee, the Secretary General responsible for foreign and political affairs at the Tug-of-War Thailand Association, these two events were major steps that Thailand took while preparing a strong national team to participate in the 2^nd Asian Tug-of-War Championships which will be held in Mongolia in June 2014.

The tug-of-war movement in Thailand revived in 2009 under the vision of the former Deputy Prime Minister Korn Dabbaransi who believed that tug-of-war should be developed and promoted in Thailand. “With this in mind, we wish to create a national team who will be able to compete at an international level,” said Narit Singwancha, the president of the Tug-of-War Thailand Association.

This might actually be an achievable objective as, at the moment, there are 120 tug-of-war clubs spread all over Thailand, mostly in schools and vocational colleges but it is also rather active within the Thai army as well. These clubs can surely provide quality players, as each club has approximately around 50 regular members.

At present, the Thai national team is comprised of both junior (under 15 years old) and senior players which make up the official six teams for the male, female and mixed events. They are training under the supervision of Jerry Shu, an experienced coach from Taiwan, whose ultimate goal for the near future is to win a place for Thailand in the Tug-of-War World Championships which will be held in August 2014 in Wisconsin, USA.

“Anyone can play the sport of tug-of-war,” said Rawipas Klamthawee, “regardless of how heavy they are. Of course, they need to be physically fit and undergo a strict training regimen, but that is not even the most important thing. What matters most in tug-of-war is the spirit of the game, the trust you put in your fellow teammates and the willingness not to give up. It’s a sport that gets people together and forms bonds of friendship that might last for a life time.”

Tug-of-war is a very spectacular sport to watch, especially with friends and family. If you would like to experience the absolute madness and energy of a crowd cheering-on its favourite team, then make sure you don’t miss the 1^st Asian Tug-of-War Championships which will be held at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, on Ramkhmhaeng Road in Bangkok between December 1-4, 2013. [Unfortunately, this event was cancelled due to anti-government and Red Shirt protests and rallies, the latter one of which were held at Rajamangala Stadium at Hua Mark Sport Complex.]

If you want to find out more information about tug-of-war and how you can make a team or join one of the existing teams, contact the Tug-of-War Thailand Association at 081 929 7819 or send them an email at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can search for them on Facebook or visit their website.