The sport is set to make a debut as a competitive event at the 2007 National Games to be held in Jharkhand

Jamshedpur, Sept. 16: Tug-of-war would no longer remain a demonstration sport. It is set to make its debut at the National Games to be held in Jharkhand in 2007.

It would be among the competitive events that would be conducted during the national meet organised by Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA).

Tug-of-war is a popular sport in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and some other states. So far, it has not been a competitive sporting event at the national level. Punjab held a demonstration of the sport at the National Games organised by the state four years ago, said JOA officials. “We have decided to include tug-of-war as one of the competitive events during the games in 2007,” said JOA secretary S.M. Hashmi.

He added they would soon inform the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) about the decision. Hashmi said they would also try to promote the sport in Jharkhand. The IOA allotted the 2007 games to Jharkhand during its annual general meeting held in Hyderabad last year. Jharkhand had bid for the 2005, 2007 and 2009 games. But as Assam bagged the 2005 games, Jharkhand was asked to organise the 2007 games.“It is an interesting sport that requires teamwork and coordination. It is originally a recreational sport but we want to make it competitive with medals at stake,” he added.

Hashmi said the sport would soon be played at the national-level, as the recently formed All-India Tug-of-War Federation is working towards that front.

“If kabaddi can be a part of Asian Games, why not tug-of-war? We will soon inform the IOA as well as the tug-of-war federation of our decision,” he said.

He said the Olympics hosts could include a sport in the games according to its discretion. The tug-of-war is also conducted in the steel city by several companies, including, Tata Steel and Tata Power.

Tug-of-war was also organised during the Founder’s Day celebrations in the city, said Basant Singh, a former 400-m hurdles national champion and one of the coaches of the Tata Steel athletics team. “I have been to almost all National Games but tug-of-war was never a competitive sport. It is nice to hear the sport making its competitive debut in Jharkhand,” said Singh.

He added that kabaddi became popular after its inclusion in the 1982 Delhi Asiad.

Jharkhand Gymnastics Association secretary Madhukant Pathak, said the event generates team spirit and belonging. It also displays physical strength of the participating teams. “After its inclusion in the 2007 games, tug-of-war would gain a solid footing in the state. Other games-hosting states might follow suit. It is nice that traditional sports are being promoted,” said Pathak.