Tug of War: Taiwan Turned a Non-Olympic Sport into a Five-Time World Champion

30-second overview: In September 2026, the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships were held in Mossel Bay, South Africa. In the women's 500 kg final's first round, Taiwan and Germany were locked in a stalemate for four minutes, with Taiwan's marker just 50 centimeters from being pulled across the line, when Germany committed a third foul. Taiwan won the first round, then took the second, completing five consecutive titles. This sport, which left the Olympics after 1920, has been developed by Taiwan into a world-class achievement. That same year in March, the World Indoor Tug of War Championships were held in Taiwan for the first time, with the home team claiming 9 gold medals over two days.

Keywords: Tug of War, World Outdoor Tug of War Championships, Jingmei Girls High School, World Indoor Tug of War Championships, Five-Time Champions

The 50-Centimeter Round

The 2026 World Outdoor Tug of War Championships were held September 16–19 in Mossel Bay, South Africa. In the open competition during the first two days, Taiwan's team claimed 3 gold and 3 bronze medals. On September 18, the first day of national team competition, the women's 500 kg team won gold and achieved five consecutive titles, the youth women's 480 kg team completed two consecutive titles, and the men's 600 kg team took one bronze medal.¹

The women's 500 kg championship match pitted Taiwan against Germany. In the first round, both sides attacked in turns, with a stalemate lasting four minutes. Just as Taiwan's marker was being pulled 50 centimeters from crossing the line, Germany committed a third foul. Taiwan's team narrowly won the first round, and with momentum on their side, took the second round as well, completing five consecutive titles.¹

Women's 500 kg team captain Hong Ning-hsuan said after the match that the German team they faced this time had grown stronger and was very difficult to pull against. She also mentioned how the venue affected the competition—the soil was more compact at the start, making it easier to attack, but as it was trampled loose, it became very difficult to pull, and they nearly lost the first round. Speaking about the pressure behind the five consecutive titles, she said every team member kept cheering each other on before the match, and only after winning the gold did they finally relax.¹

Eight on the Field, More Than Two Fouls and You Lose

The most common image of tug of war in Taiwan is as a recreational competition at temple fairs and school anniversaries, but international competitive tug of war follows a different set of rules. Eight athletes on the field, two substitutes, the team's total weight must not exceed the limit for that weight class, and the rope has a center line with 4-meter markers on each side. You win a round by pulling the opponent's marker across the ground boundary line or by causing the opponent to commit more than two fouls.²

These rules make tug of war an extremely technique-dependent sport. Adding up the strength of eight people will not guarantee victory—body angle, footwork rhythm, and the timing of downward pressure must be synchronized. If even one person stands up straight, the rope's tension will slacken. Taiwan's international competition teams are therefore consistently composed of athletes developed through the same school system.²

How One High School's Athletic Field Produced a National Team

Taiwan's most renowned international tug of war team comes from Jingmei Girls High School, a team whose story was adapted into the film Spirit of the Fight in 2013. Later, due to insufficient personnel, the team was reorganized as a joint squad of National Taiwan Normal University and Jingmei Girls High School to compete in international events. The Shida-Jingmei team, which had previously focused on indoor tug of war, won the gold medal in the women's 540 kg category at the World Cup Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Sweden in 2016.²

The 2026 women's team remains centered on Jingmei Girls High School and National Taiwan Normal University. According to a Central News Agency report republished by Business Weekly, this team went undefeated from preliminaries through finals at the World Indoor Tug of War Championships, completing four consecutive titles in the 500 kg category. In World Championships history, only Scotland had previously completed four consecutive titles in the men's 640 kg and 680 kg categories.³

On Their Home Ground, the Host Team Brought Home 9 Gold Medals

The World Indoor Tug of War Championships were held in Taiwan for the first time in 2026. Over two days of competition, the host Taiwan claimed 9 gold medals and 1 fourth-place finish. The men's 640 kg category was Taiwan's first-ever gold in that weight class at the championships. Taiwan's men's team head coach Chen Jian-wen said the pre-competition goal was to keep the gold medals in Taiwan, so they assigned their largest athletes to compete in the 680 kg and 640 kg categories.³

The mixed 580 kg category had won only silver at the previous championships in Sweden, but returning to Taiwan this year, the team won all preliminary matches and easily defeated opponents in the quarterfinals. In the finals, they defeated Basque in straight sets and brought the gold medal home. Women's 500 kg team captain Tian Jia-rong had a cartilage fracture in her right wrist before the competition and received two injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP). She said she was very grateful for the care provided by the Chang Gung medical team, which allowed her to keep up with the training intensity, and her family came from Nantou to watch, including her 70-year-old grandmother.³

This year's medals and trophies were shaped like Taiwan, with the trophies made of colored glaze. Association director Chen Jian-ping said that when foreign teams take them home, they will still remember competing in Taiwan. The event brought together 14 countries and regions, over 100 teams, and more than 1,000 team members and staff to Taiwan.³

The Last Time This Sport Appeared in the Olympics Was 1920

Tug of war was listed as an official competition event at the 1900 Paris Olympics and continued until it was discontinued in 1920. Currently, it is one of the official competition events at the World Games and follows the official international tug of war competition rules.² Taiwan's five consecutive titles in the women's 500 kg category will therefore not appear on the Olympic medal table.

The International Tug of War Federation originally held alternating indoor and outdoor world championships every other year, but starting in 2027, they will hold both indoor and outdoor championships annually, further increasing the difficulty of winning consecutive titles.³ Taiwan's achievements in 2026 include five consecutive titles in outdoor women's 500 kg, two consecutive titles in youth women's 480 kg, plus 9 gold medals indoors.¹³

High School Students Still in School and Graduated Seniors Together Maintained the Streak

In the outdoor championships' youth women's 480 kg category, Taiwan's team completed two consecutive titles. Vice-captain Wu Pei-hsuan said the team captain had a cold before the competition and could not speak, yet insisted on competing while ill, leading the entire team to victory. She also mentioned that the soil at the South African venue was more compact than the sand they normally trained on, which actually made it easier to attack.¹

From Jingmei Girls High School to National Taiwan Normal University, and then to the youth and national teams, Taiwan's athlete pool for this sport comes from the same schools, and the consecutive title record is maintained by both high school students still in school and graduated seniors. After the competition format changes to annual championships starting in 2027, team captain Tian Jia-rong said in an interview in March: "Under Coach Guo Sheng's leadership, I believe we will continue to improve and accept all kinds of challenges."³²

Further Reading:

• Taiwan's Sports Development and the Olympics — Understanding Taiwan's athletes' position on the international stage through the name "Chinese Taipei."

References