Tug of War was an official Olympic sport for 20 years.

Tug of War was part of the Olympics in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920. Each match lasted five minutes. A team won by pulling the other side six feet or by being ahead when time ran out. Countries could enter more than one team. This often led to one country winning all three medals.In 1904, the United States won the gold, silver, and bronze medals because every team was from an American club. In 1908, Great Britain won all three medals. The gold medal went to a team of police officers from London. The American team complained about the heavy boots the British officers wore. They argued the boots gave the officers too much grip on the ground.The International Olympic Committee removed the sport after the 1920 Games. They wanted to reduce the total number of athletes to make the Olympics easier to manage. Today, a group called the Tug of War International Federation works to bring the sport back. More than 70 countries still compete in the sport officially.