Tug-of-war is more than just a game

The stadium is the one regularly used by the village’s football teams. The first part of the training session – the fitness work along the track surrounding the pitch – is reminiscent of a normal football team. Then, after an hour and a half, the athletes change their boots, slipping on specialised footwear not available on the market, and the ‘practice match’ begins. Eight line up on one side and eight on the other to pull the rope, unwittingly digging a furrow in the ground with their feet as the pressure on the ground increases. The athletes wear long-sleeved kits, clearly inspired by rugby colours, to withstand the friction of the rope.

Scorzè, situated at the crossroads of the provinces of Venice, Padua and Treviso, is home to one of Italy’s most historic and successful tug-of-war teams. Tug-of-war is a sport with ancient origins which, for a time, was also an Olympic discipline: the last time it featured was at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

Unlike amateur footballers (though one might also say the same of many professionals), tug-of-war athletes – a discipline which in Italy falls under the auspices of Figest, the Italian Federation of Traditional Games and Sports, affiliated to CONI – train six days a week: three with the team and three on their own, doing weight training and gym work.

Taf Scorzè is a record-breaking team: it has already won no fewer than 71 Italian titles, a record set to increase shortly, given the upcoming finals on the calendar. The sports club was founded in 1975 on the initiative of Adriano Michieletto, a young factory worker from Porto Marghera nicknamed ‘Il Toro’ (The Bull) due to his physical prowess. Michieletto had already played tug-of-war in his village with some friends purely for fun, but at the factory he began organising proper competitions during work breaks. These were the years when around 40,000 people were employed in the Venetian industrial hub. From there came the idea of founding the team in Scorzè together with the Cappelletto brothers, a family which, more than fifty years on, remains the backbone of the club, with Pietro as president and Nicola as its star athlete.

Today, the team’s coach is Giorgio Rizzante, another of the founders. It is he, with the whistle between his lips, who acts as referee during training sessions. During a match, the coach must constantly analyse the opposition to identify their weaknesses. Leading the team on the pitch is also the ‘lead’ shooter, the only one who can look their direct opponent in the eye and gain an immediate insight into the rival line-up. The role of the anchorman is also crucial: he is the eighth player, the one who takes up position last and keeps his teammates in line. It is an extremely demanding task, with the braided rope running from his back around his arm.

Those who were once known as the ‘strongmen’ of tug-of-war compete with their bare hands: the only aid permitted is pitch, a resin used to improve grip. Seen in the little jar in the changing room, it almost looks like chestnut honey, and at the end of training, it’s by no means easy to wash off.

The Scorzè club, which provides half the Italian national team, competes exclusively on grass. There is also an indoor variant played on a court, but for some years now the club has chosen to focus solely on outdoor activities. In the early days, matches were often played for fun at village fairs and festivals, sometimes even on tarmac. The sport retains a strong rural flavour and continues to thrive in village settings, particularly in Veneto and Friuli. Even today, the finals are often held in these environments.

President Pietro Cappelletto himself explains the difference between outdoor and indoor play. “On grass, you use the angled edge of the boot to get a grip on the ground,” he tells Il Foglio Sportivo; “according to the rules, there’s an iron insert in the heel. On the track, however, trainers are used. I prepare the footwear for our team myself, starting with roller or ice skates before the blades or wheels are fitted at the factory, modifying them to create the right edge. I now make them for other neighbouring clubs as well.”

From 23 to 26 September 2027, Caorle, a Venetian seaside town, will host the Outdoor Tug-of-War World Championships. The European Championships used to be held here too, but now only the World Championships take place: all things considered, the national teams taking part – at least the most competitive ones – remain the same. Dozens of national teams and hundreds of clubs will be travelling to the event in Caorle, as the World Championships are divided into two parts, including a section reserved for clubs, in which Scorzè will also be taking part. The event is organised by FIGEST under the auspices of TWIF (Tug of War International Federation), the international tug-of-war organisation recognised by the IOC.

Nicola Cappelletto, son of Pietro’s brother and the last member of the family’s illustrious sporting dynasty, is eagerly awaiting the event in Caorle. Now in his forties and with a wealth of club titles to his name, Nicola hopes to win a medal for the Italian national team to cap off a long career.

Italy will be focusing heavily on the 600 kg, 640 kg and 680 kg categories, as well as the mixed and women’s events: the category is determined by the total weight of the eight athletes. Taf Scorzè also has its own women’s team. Chiara Berto has been competing for some time and is also the club’s vice-president. “With the club, I won the Italian championship in the mixed category in 2025, whilst with the national team I won a silver medal at the 2021 World Championships in Bilbao and three bronze medals at the World Championships in Switzerland in 2023, in Germany in 2024 and in England in 2025.”

In Italy, a competition is considered mixed even when there is only one female athlete in the team, given that it is still a sport practised predominantly by men. This decision is intended to gradually develop women’s participation in the sport and eventually lead to the formation of an official mixed national team comprising four men and four women. The strongest teams globally are found in Europe – Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and England – where there is a longer-standing and more established tradition.

“After the World Cup, I’ll definitely stay on as a manager, but above all I’d love to be a coach,” Nicola Cappelletto, who also holds a position within the International Federation, tells Il Foglio Sportivo. “I’ve played this wonderful sport for many seasons. It hasn’t always been easy: the repetitive nature of the movements can even seem tedious to the athlete.”

This is a discipline in which it is difficult to find an absolute star capable of winning the competition single-handedly. There are athletes who, in training on the dynamometer, can lift the impossible, but then fail to transfer that same strength when competing as part of a team. Strength is essential, but tug-of-war remains, first and foremost, a team sport.