Early 1900s Photograph of the United States Olympic Tug of War Team. Shot by a San Francisco Photographer. Inscribed with "Elite Photo S.F. Cal" bottom right. 

Overall: 20 1/2 X 24 1/2 in. 

Sight: 17 1/2 X 21 3/4 in. 

#3749 . 

Tug of war became an Olympic event in 1900, when a mixed team from Denmark and Sweden won the first gold medal in the sport. The United States withdrew their team that year due to a scheduling conflict with the hammer throw, so the organizers accepted a late entry from a Scandinavian team. The Scandinavian team, made up of five athletes and one journalist, won the gold medal in a best-of-three contest against France and Colombia. Tug of war remained an Olympic event from 1900 to 1920, and was part of the track-and-field program. The British were often dominant in the competition, winning five of the ten gold medals awarded in the sport over those years. The United States won all three medals (gold, silver, and bronze) in 1904. The International Olympic Committee removed tug of war from the Olympics in 1920 to streamline the program and reduce the number of sports and participants. Although it is no longer an Olympic sport, many countries around the world became enamored with and adopted the sport due to its appearance in those years, and some petition for its return to the Olympics even today.