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HARTENBOS SPORTS NEWS - Hartenbos will host the Outdoor Tug-of-War World Championships in four years' time - in 2026.
The aim of the Tug-of-War International Federation (TWIF) is that championships be held in countryside towns, not the capitals of countries, so that the towns are promoted and benefit financially.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tug of War champs
In 2019 the world championships were held in Newport, Ireland. This is a village.
Right now Mossel Bay's Elandré Kemp, who has his Protea colours, is competing in the Outdoor Tug-of-War World Championships in Holten, a relatively obscure town in The Netherlands.
The championships started yesterday, Thursday 15 September, and continue until 19 September. The first two days comprise the open championships, in which one can pull as part of a club or a district or school and the last two days are the closed championships for national teams in which 18 countries are taking part.
The two national Protea teams Kemp was chosen for are the 560kg men's senior men and the 560kg U23 mixed team, which consists of four men and four women. There are eight people in each team, with one reserve.
The reserve needs to weigh the least, because must be able to replace any member of the team. There need to be two reserves for the mixed team - one man and one woman.
Gym manager
Kemp (21) is currently the manager of Wings Fitness Studio in Voorbaai. He came to Mossel Bay from the Strand in Cape Town. He was born and bred in Rustenberg.
Kemp tried his hand at gymnastics, archery, triathlon, duathlon, cycling, hockey and cross country before he realised tug-of-war was his passion.
He matriculated in 2019 and came to Mossel Bay immediately to work and study.
He says: "Tug-of-war is an addiction and a lifestyle. One lives, eats and sleeps tug-of-war. The only sport which was a constant with me over the past nine years was tug-of-war."
He points out that South Africa is the only country which has competitive junior tug-of-war and barefoot tug-of-war (U13s).
Kemp says: "You pull in weight classes. You need to diet and weigh in beforehand."
On Friday, 9 September, he said: "I've lost 7kg this week. I still need to lose 2kg more."
He attended the SA Junior Championships in 2012 in Kimberley. This was a great achievement because he had only been participating in tug-of-war for a few months.
The next year, 2013, he was in Grade 7 and it was his second season in the sport. Three times he achieved his Western Province colours and twice, his WP Boland colours, that year.
Kemp is a member of Swellendam tug-of-war club. His first year as a national athlete was 2019. His national athlete number is M562. M stands for male. The women have an F before their numbers.
His average weight under normal circumstances is 76 to 78kg. He reduces his weight to 68kg in order to compete.
Kemp is a member of Swellendam tug-of-war club.
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