Taiwan dominated the opening day of the 2026 Taipei World Indoor Tug-of-War Championships at Taipei Arena on Thursday, securing three golds, three silvers, and three bronzes. The highlight came in the open women’s 500-kilogram class, where Taiwan claimed gold, silver, and bronze medals.

The four-day event features open competitions on March 12 to 13 and championships on March 14 to 15. Open events draw non-nationals or club teams, while championships feature national squads. More than 1,000 athletes and staff from 14 nations and regions – including the Basque Country, England, Italy, Ukraine, Latvia, Netherlands, USA, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan – competed with over 100 teams (80 in open, 62 in championships). 

In the open junior girls’ 480-kilogram class, Taipei Jingmei Girls’ High School’s tug-of-war team went undefeated to claim gold. Senior Chen Yu-chieh (陳育婕) has competed in outdoor international tug-of-war before, but this is her first world-class indoor event, and she admitted that competing in front of her compatriots felt honorable, though a bit nerve-wracking. Chen emphasized that she prefers indoor to outdoor tug-of-war as it lets her better leverage her height advantage, and she expressed confidence in her indoor abilities. 

Chen then teamed up with younger teammates for the women’s 500-kilogram event, where she said the pressure felt lighter than the morning session, though the track was slippier than in practice, and the older opponents’ superior endurance demanded sharp technique and quick adaptation.

The University of Taipei representative team defended its title with gold in the open U23 mixed 560-kilogram class. Head coach Chen Tzuen-long (陳圳龍) said they maintained their power against Ukraine, whose strength faded quickly due to shaky fundamentals and stability.