Tug of war teams from over 20 countries have descended on Breaffy, Co Mayo for the European Senior and World U23 and Junior Outdoor Tug Of War Championships.
Approximately 1,500 athletes are taking part in the championships that are being held in Ireland for the first time since 1987.
The championships began with weigh-in on Wednesday, followed by club competitions on Thursday and yesterday.
International teams took centre stage today.
The Netherlands took gold in the Men's 680k competition, defeating England in the final.
"We knew that we were going for first place and that we had a chance," said Doeke van der Weide from the Dutch team. "Today, it went so smooth, better than expected."
The Irish Junior Men's team narrowly missed out on the semi-finals in their competition.
Donal Ward, a member of the Irish 720kg team, says the international event is providing a great economic boost for Castlebar.
"The Irish Tug of War association is affiliated with Sport Ireland. It's all amateur. Generally, athletes pay their own way for the international championships. There's a great fulfilment from travelling and camaraderie in the sport."
Competitions are run in a round-robin format where the four top teams' quality for the semi-finals.
Weight disciplines at the championships range from 480kg to 720kg. The senior men's category has four weight categories, 560kg, 640kg, 680kg and 720kg.
Local bars are supporting international colours for the duration of the championships, each one sporting the international colours of a competing team.
The Championships conclude with the 720kg men's competition at Breaffy House Resort tomorrow afternoon.
