Tug of War Federation of India is the national body for promoting and organizing events related to the game of tug of war in India. It was initially set up in the northern parts of the country by some army officials and gradually went on to become a national authority.
Formation of Tug of War Federation of India
The game federation for Tug of War in India was originally established in the North Indian city of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh in 1958 by some officers of the armed forces. By 1978, it had gained some momentum, and the Federation moved to the Tug of War International Federation for recognition. It was accepted as the National Sport Federation representing India. In 1980, the fortunes of the Federation fell into despair, and a request was made to a Delhi based group, which was already active in this game, and led by Mr. Gautam Kaul and Mr. Madan Mohan, to take over the management. Prior to the take over, the earlier executive committee had organized national championships in some towns in North India with indifferent success. In 1982, the new executive committee after overhauling the administration of this Federation had it registered as a Society under the Act of 1860. In 1991, the General Association of National Sports Federation India (GANSF) gave its approval to induct the Tug of War Federation of India as its latest member. Government of India in its official recognition to the Tug of War Federation of India also agreed to provide for future, financial assistance for the promotion of the game in a modest manner.
Activities of Tug of War Federation of India
Following its formation, the new management committee of Tug of War Federation of India took upon itself the responsibility of also organizing regular national championship for men and women in different age groups e.g. Senior, Junior under 19 Years, Sub Junior under 17 Years and open for all ages. These championships were initially limited to two weight categories alone. In each of the National Championship fixtures, an average of about 575 sports persons participated drawn from all parts of the country having their original membership in clubs, and then created into provincial teams. TWFI is regularly conducting the Tug of War clinics and referee courses in India and South Asian.
The game of tug of war has also been introduced in some of the countries neighboring to India. New game federations have been established in Sri Lanka and Nepal. Efforts are underway to create a federation in Bangladesh. Contact is being made with The Maldives Republic, Afghanistan, Iran and Bhutan. A game federation already exists in Pakistan. Bilateral visits of player teams have been made with established game federations.
TWFI regularly publishes a newsletter in half yearly frequency for covering the activities of tug of war game in India and abroad. The tug of war is also played indoor on rubber mats in European countries and in Asia in Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. TWFI will soon start its indoor games in India.
In 2008, Tug of War Federation of India completed its 50 years of service to the game. On this occasion more than 150 districts in the country conducted Tug of war game events.
