Tug of War Championships provide boost to economy

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Billy Webb officially opened the event which had around 120 athletes from across the UK and Ireland attending each day.

The Mayor said: “I welcome the return of sporting events. The Tug of War Championships attracted many visitors to our borough, bringing much needed revenue for the hospitality sector which has suffered greatly over the past two years.”

Noel Hara (Chair of NI Tug of War Association) added: “It was great to be able to support the local economy of the borough by bringing the championships to the Jim Baker Stadium and also generating much needed income for the local hospitality sector.

“The event has brought in the region of £30k to the borough and we hope to build on this for next year.”

Sara-Jane Curran and Rod Coleman from Jim Baker Stadium explained: “We were delighted to host the British Isles Tug of War Championships. It proved a very successful event.

“Coming up to 40 years of business, our bowling membership has stood the test of time and now, recently with the Covid-19 pandemic, our bowls continue to thrive.

“However, over the last few years we have had to diversify into other avenues to help fill the gaps around our bowling calendar. These have included Special Olympics, MMA and various other events.”

For details of all the winners, visit the NI Tug of War Facebook page.

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