Tug of war at the 1908 Summer Olympics
At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a tug of war tournament was contested. Each team consisted of 8 athletes. Nations could enter up to 3 teams.[1] The host Great Britain was the only one to enter more than one (entering the maximum of 3 teams). Germany, Greece, Sweden, and the United States each entered one team apiece, though Germany and Greece withdrew. This left 5 teams (40 athletes) from 3 nations to compete.
| Men's tug of war at the Games of the IV Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | White City Stadium | |||||||||
| Dates | July 17–18 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 40 from 3 nations | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Tug of war at the 1908 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| men | |
Medal table
| Position | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| — |  | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
.svg.png){kind=small} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Medal summary
| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| City of London Police |
Liverpool Police |
Metropolitan Police "K" Division |
Team rosters
Great Britain
City of London Police
Liverpool Police
- Charles Foden (captain)
- James Clarke
- Thomas Butler
- William Greggan
- Alexander Kidd
- Daniel McDonald Lowey
- Patrick Philbin
- George Smith
- Thomas Swindlehurst
Metropolitan Police "K" Division
Sweden
United States of America
Results
Quarterfinals
The German and Greek teams withdrew, narrowing the seven-team field to five. Thus, the Swedish team and two of the British squads had byes in the quarterfinals.
The only match held was between the Liverpool team and the Americans. Liverpool won the first pull easily, after which the United States delegation protested against the footwear worn by the Liverpool police, who competed in their service boots. The protest was dismissed, and the Americans withdrew in disgust.[2][3]
| Winners | Score | Losers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Police | | 2-0 (forfeit) | United States of America | |
| Sweden | | — | Bye | |
| City of London Police | | — | Bye | |
| Metropolitan Police "K" Division | | — | Bye | |
Semifinals
Liverpool again faced a foreign opponent, and again prevailed. The two London services squared off in the other semifinal, with the City police beating the Metropolitan men in a lengthy first pull. The second pull was not as tight a contest.[2]
| Winners | Score | Losers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Police | | 2-0 | Sweden | |
| City of London Police | | 2-0 | Metropolitan Police "K" Division | |
Final
The Londoners defeated Liverpool in the final, winning the first two pulls.
| Winners | Score | Losers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London Police | | 2-0 | Liverpool Police | |
Bronze medal match
The Swedish team did not appear for the bronze medal match.
| Winners | Score | Losers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Police "K" Division | | walkover | Sweden | |
Notes
- Official Report, p. 32.
- Cook, p. 91
- City of London Police
Sources
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (1908). The Fourth Olympiad, Being the Official Report. London: British Olympic Association.
- De Wael, Herman (2001). "Tug-of-War 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 26 February 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2006.
- Rosters
