Tug of War Takes Center Stage in Uganda

The Federation of Tug of War Associations Uganda has been tirelessly working to establish Tug of War as a recognized sport in the country.

With its rich Olympic history and unique blend of strength, strategy, and teamwork, Tug of War is poised to capture the hearts of Ugandans and put the nation on the global sports map. In an exclusive interview with The Sports Nation, FUTWA president Mr. Kintu Edmund shares the inspiring journey of introducing Tug of War to Uganda, overcoming obstacles, and paving the way for a brighter sporting future.

“We started on this journey in 2020, then we had a setback of COVID for those two years, but we picked it up in 2022,” Mr. Kintu explained. He added, “FUTWA is a private organization where it’s us who touch our pockets to do all the activities that we have done so far.”

Regarding sponsors, Mr. Kintu said, “We don’t have sponsors yet on board, but when we get full recognition, we are looking at having very many people involved.” However, the delay in certification has hindered partnerships and international participation. “By now, we would have had very many partners on board, but the delay of the National Council to give us the final certificate of recognition gave us a big setback because some big organizations want you to have that certificate.”

Mr. Kintu emphasized the importance of certification for international events, saying, “Even going for International events, you cannot register with the International Federation called TWIF (Tug of War International Federation) located in the Netherlands.”

FUTWA is working closely with the National Council of Sports, aiming to meet the requirements. Mr. Kintu shared, “We are working with the National Council of Sports; we have our file there, it’s 80% full. Then we had a meeting with the General Secretary Technical, Mr. Katende, and we had a productive engagement, and he briefed us about the new law, the requirements, and all that. We are needed to cover 75% of the districts in the Country.”

Mr. Kintu expressed optimism about achieving their goals, saying, “We gave ourselves a target of five years from 2020, and next year will be the final year of our strategic plan to see that the Sport is fully Registered, and I know by the end of this year, we should have that certificate because when we compare what we have managed to achieve in a space of four years is much more than many other Sports that are registered in the country.”

He highlighted Tug of War’s Olympic recognition and rich history, dating back to the 1900-1920 Olympics. Mr. Kintu explained, “But you know every Sport has its strength and their reasons why they are registered, though you cannot find them in the communities, but Tug of War, being an Olympic-recognized sport, because it was among the first Sports that were played in the world from 1900 to 1920, and then they had a scale down of games in the Olympics because it was attracting many teams. Remember, it’s played in weights, where you have like 400kg, 520kg, 650kg, 720kg, and every team is made up of 8 pullers.”

To further grow Tug of War, FUTWA plans to collaborate with schools and organizations that bring together youth, such as the Girl Guides Association, which has a presence in all districts. Mr. Kintu explained, “We look at growing Tug of War by working with schools and organisations that bring together the youth like the girl guides association, this is an association which is over 100 years old and they have footprints in all the districts in the country.”

FUTWA has already made strides in partnering with universities, launching Tug of War at the Inter Universities outing in 2023 at Uganda Christians University. Mr. Edmund added, “Then also working with the Universities, we launched Tug of War in the Inter Universities last year in the outing for last year 2023 at Uganda Christians University and we are looking at working with them to see that we reach all the Universities and to have the Inter Universities.”

Additionally, FUTWA aims to work with existing sports structures, like FUFA, to leverage their progress and promote Tug of War’s benefits, including endurance, fitness, and teamwork. Mr. Edmund said, “Then other thing is to work with the existing Sports structures like we are looking at working with FUFA because Tug of War is a Sport that everyone needs to play because it creates endurance, it keeps you fit, it promotes teamwork.”

FUTWA also plans to engage with cultural leaders to establish the Uganda Heritage Tug of War Shield, featuring regional competitions and a national championship. Mr. Edmund elaborated, “We are looking at working with the cultural leaders because our vision is to have Uganda Heritage Tug of War Shield were we will be having competitions in different regions as you see the Masaza we have in Buganda or the FUFA Drum, this will be played according to different clusters in different regions then later every region will get their champion then we have the National Regional Championship.”

FUTWA’s initiatives include conducting capacity-building programs to develop Tug of War expertise across Uganda.

Mr. Kintu explained, “The initiatives are first of all conducting capacity building programs like when we reach a district we work with the District Sports”

FUTWA’s initiatives also involve collaborating with cultural institutions, such as the Buganda Kingdom, to promote Tug of War. Mr. Edmund shared, “Currently, we are working with the Buganda Kingdom; last year we had our first activity with them, where we involved in the Buganda Kingdom Staff Games, which were in Lubiri Mengo, and the Katikiro was the guest of honor.”

The event sparked enthusiasm for Tug of War, with participants drawn to its fun, exciting, and accessible nature. Mr. Edmund highlighted, “People fell in love with Tug of War because it’s a sport that is fun, exciting, and it’s a cheap sport; you don’t need a lot of money to play it, apart from the Tug of War Boots and a rope, and maybe the waistbands.”

FUTWA prioritizes skill development, starting with basic equipment and gradually introducing more advanced gear. Mr. Edmund explained, “For starters, so long as you have a standard rope, the rest we can put on hold, and you first learn the skills, then we start to play professionally, then we bring in the boots because they are a little bit costly, and the ropes are a little bit fair because they are of a different length and quality, but starting from around 600,000/=, you can get a fair rope, moving upwards, and then for young kids, you can get the one starting at 450,000/=.”

Emphasizing the significance of cultural alignment, Mr. Kintu reiterated, “Culture is so important in all this; that’s why I said our vision is having the Uganda Heritage Tug of War Shield when we are basing at traditional clusters working with the traditional Sports Ministries.”

When asked about collaborating with the media to promote Tug of War, Mr. Kintu emphasized FUTWA’s commitment to embracing IT and establishing a strong media presence. “Our social media platforms demonstrate our dedication to digital media, and we have fostered relationships with various Media Houses, including FUFA TV, BBS TV, NBS TV, Record FM, and CBS.”

Recognizing the crucial role of media in sport development, FUTWA prioritizes good media relations. Mr. Kintu explained, “You cannot develop a sport without effective media partnerships, which is why we value and engage with the media.”

FUTWA’s leadership team, including the Director of Communications, a seasoned media professional, and the General Secretary, an experienced PR expert, are well-equipped to collaborate with media organizations. Mr. Edmund highlighted, “Their expertise has helped us grow Tug of War, and we leverage their skills to work with prominent media outlets.”

On what’s their vision for Uganda’s representation in International Tug of war competitions and how they will prepare teams for success.

“As I mentioned earlier, our primary vision is to establish the Uganda Heritage Tug of War Shield, featuring regional competitions aligned with cultural clusters. Following this achievement, we aim to participate in international tournaments, including the East African Tug of War Tournament in Busia, Kenya, and the African Championships, which were recently held in Zimbabwe”

“However, our participation in these events is contingent upon receiving the certificate of recognition from the National Council of Sports.” Mr. Edmund emphasized.

“We cannot represent Uganda in international competitions without this recognition.”

FUTWA has identified opportunities to compete in global events, such as the Chinese Taipei indoor tournament, the World Games in Germany, and international school and club championships. Mr. Kintu expressed his optimism, “If we receive recognition this year, we will organize a team for these events, leveraging our existing talent pool and hosting training camps to prepare.”

He reiterated, “Our vision is to send a national team to represent Uganda at the African Tug of War Championships and the Africa Oceania Tug of War Championships in Cambley, South Africa, next year.” However, he stressed that all these plans hinge on securing the certificate of recognition from the National Council of Sports.