The Tug For Gold

Tug of War contests are usually a fun inclusion in company picnics. But did you know that this seemingly 'unsporty' game was an actual Olympic event at one point in history? From the beginning of the last century till 1920, Tug of War was a legitimate sports in the Summer Olympics with teams from Great Britain and Scandinavia taking back the gold till a team from Milwaukee decided to cheat. The pullers of the Milwaukee Athletic Club, of the United States, managed to win the gold medal in 1904 but strangely, no one on the team was actually from Milwaukee. In fact, they were not even members of the club! Instead the athletes were ringers selected by the club's head, Walter Liginger, from Chicago. The defeated cried foul but to no avail. The Olympic officials rejected the protests, and the “men from Milwaukee” were allowed to keep their medals.