Olympic Games London
Due to the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 1906, the IOC decide to move the Games from Rome to London. In previous Games the organization was essentially done by bodies from outside the sport, such as exhibition and fair organizers; in the London Games the sport institutions had a substantial role in the management of the Games. The tug of war event in London was totally dominated by the Great Britain teams. The teams were recruited from police divisions. The USA team consisted of a group of excellent athletes, with John J. Flanagan, Marty Sheridan and Marquis Horr, who all had won medals in discus and hammer throwing disciplines. The USA team of fine athletes being entirely defeated by the skill and technique of the British policemen found that strength alone is not enough to win a tug of war match. In the final match in, the London City Police, in their contest against the Liverpool Police, won in two straight pulls. The bronze medal in tug of war was a walk over for the K Division of the London Metropolitan Police team, as the Swedes were too dazed by the pure force and skill of the British teams that they did not dare to go to the rope.
