Two teams from Bedford have been selected to compete at two major international Tug of War events.

A senior and junior women’s team have been selected to take part in events including the British and Irish Tug of War Championships in Cork, Ireland, on August 8 and August 9, and the World Tug of War Championships in Mossel Bay, South Africa, from September 16 to September 19.

The teams which have been selected following results at the 2026 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships, include the Bedford Senior Women's Team and Bedfordshire Junior Women’s team.

The Bedford Ladies team will be representing England B as defending champions in the women’s 520kg competition at the British and Irish Championships.

The Bedford Ladies team representing England at the British and Irish Championships where they won gold last year.

placeholder image — The Bedford Ladies team representing England at the British and Irish Championships where they won gold last year.

Always a very competitive team at international level, the team goes into the event having picked up silver in the open club competition at the World Championships at 540kg in both 2024 and 2025, as well as winning bronze in the closed 540kg competition at the 2025 World Championships in Nottingham.

Bedford have been a very successful women’s tug of war team over the years, winning a number of national, AAA, Inter County and national league titles, as well as a number of international medals at the UK and British and Irish Championships and World and European Championships.

The Bedfordshire Junior Women will represent England in the Junior Women's 480kg category at the World Championships, marking the club's first-ever international representation for England and showcasing the sport's emerging talent.

The teams will be looking to build on their achievements of 2025, when English teams won 15 medals across various weight classes at the 2025 World Championships in Nottingham, including six gold medals.

The British and Irish Championships in Cork will also provide an opportunity for England's athletes to test themselves against the best teams from across Britain before heading to South Africa for the World Championships in September.

Alan Knott, a spokesman The Tug of War Association (TOWA) said: “The Tug of War Association wishes all selected athletes, coaches and support staff every success as they prepare to represent England on the international stage.

"After a hugely successful 2025 season where English teams won a total of 15 medals in club and international competition at the World Championships we hosted in Nottingham, including six gold medals, 2025 will be a very tough act to follow, but we have every confidence that our teams will continue to be competitive on the world stage and we are hopeful that our teams will bring home some medals once again this year.”