Tug of war titans pulling into town
THE European outdoor tug of war championships and world junior and under-23 championships are coming to Southport.
It has been predicted that around 1,200 athletes will take part, including teams from the US, Chinese Taipei and South Africa, and Europe.
The free entry event will take place from September 21-24, at Carr Lane Playing Fields.
It is expected that the competition will be on from 9am until approximately 6pm each day.
The European tug of war championships are held bi-annually under the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), with the world tug of war championships taking place on intervening years.
The event will also include the world junior and under 23 championships, which are held annually in conjunction with world and European championships.
AlanAl Knott,K theh press officerffi f for the Tug of War Association, said: “The Tug of War Association is very excited about bringing the 2017 European Tug of War Championships and World Junior and Under-23 Tug of War Championships to Southport.
“We have never staged such a large tug of war event in the town before, but we chose Southport because of the availability of a wide range of accommodation for teams, supporters and visitors, and its proximity to both ManchesterM h andd Li Liverpool l AirAi ports which offer our international visitors budget airline travel and rail links between Southport and these two airports.
“Sefton Council have also been very supportive and accommodating in helping us to plan for this major event and we would like to thank them for allowing us to stage this event at Carr Lane Playing Fields.”
On the first two days of the European championships, the TWIF open club competition will take place, which is open to all tug of war clubs from TWIF memb ber associations.
The second two days of the competition will see the internat tional events take place with the E European tug of war championships and world junior and under-23 championships between the national teams.
If you are planning to attend, please note that car parking will be restricted at the competition ground, so organisers are encouraging spectators to use public transport to get to the venue.
Alan added: “It promises to be a great event for local people to come along to and cheer the teams on, and perhaps learn more about a sport which they may not have seen on a serious competitive basis before – and best of all, entry is free for spectators.”