Frillesås 2026: TOW Rakovník's first win on European soil

Frillesås, 25–26 July 2026. A village on Sweden's west coast, just south of Gothenburg, hosted the European Tug of War Championships. And TOW Rakovník brought home an entry that gets underlined twice in the club chronicle: our first-ever victory on European soil.

What the ETWF European Championships are

The peak of the outdoor season is run by the European Tug of War Federation (ETWF) and comes in two parts. One half of the programme belongs to national teams; the other is the Open competition — the European Cup for clubs, where sides compete under their own flag. Men's, women's and mixed weight categories, on grass and in mud, in front of packed stands and the flags of a dozen nations.

For us it was the first big international test — and straight away the hardest one Europe has to offer.

The expedition: Rakovník and Sokol, our first time by plane

We travelled to Sweden as a joint TOW Rakovník and TOW Sokol expedition, and for the first time in the club's history we flew to a tournament. Landing in Gothenburg on 23 July kicked off five days that justified every evening spent training.

The Czech national team: five names from Rakovník

Five pullers from our club took part in the national-team programme, competing in the mixed event in Czech colours. You can read who they are in Our athletes in the Czech national team. Seeing Rakovník pullers in the national jersey at a European championship is quite a calling card for a club in its very first season.

Women's 540 kg: a debut in our colours

The club Euro Cup opened with our women's team in the 540 kg category — the first time women had ever lined up under the TOW Rakovník banner at a European tournament. The squad brought together pullers from TOW Rakovník and TOW Sokol, joined by ladies from the Belgian club TTV Nijlen.

Mixed 600 kg: a win over Serbia and 7th place

The afternoon belonged to the mixed 600 kg category — and with it came a moment we will remember for a very long time. Our team, made up of TOW Rakovník and TOW Sokol pullers, beat the Serbian selection. The club's first win outside our own borders, and at a European championship at that. We finished 7th overall.

We posted footage of the winning pull on our Instagram.

A season of firsts

• The first time we flew anywhere as a club.
• The first time a women's team started under our colours at a European tournament.
• The first time we beat an opponent in the mixed category at this level.
• The first time we fielded a joint team of our pullers and our mentors from TOW Sokol.
• The first time we teamed up with TTV Nijlen in the women's event.
• The first time five of our pullers were selected for the Czech national team.

And all of it in the first season of our existence.

Thank you

Huge thanks to the organisers from the ETWF for a superbly run tournament, and to TOW Sokol and TTV Nijlen, without whom we could not have fielded two full teams. Thanks to everyone who came down to the rope and passed on more valuable advice — we appreciate it enormously and it is exactly the motivation we need.

Photos from the whole weekend are in the gallery, and the competition details are on the event page. If you'd like to back us on the road ahead, here's how — Support us. 🪢