Muscular bodies gracefully fish for the 40 meters long and 4 cm thick rope. Hands clasp the rope like steel clamps . Shoes ram into the ground, the heels flashing like metal. Cries emerge from hoarse throats.
All eyes are set on the referee, muscles and nerves are extremely tense.
After this final command of the referee the teams fall, as if by magic into a tilted position. The rope crackles as it is stretched and the exciting struggle for the winning pull begins. This is very much like it was and is in the hundreds of intense tug of war competitions. There will be even more excitement at the European Championships in Buetschwil from 20 th to the 23 rd of September 2001 as the teams will battle even harder. All of them striving to receive the honour of being champions in the stronghold of the European masters and vice-masters.