Explainer | CrossFit Games: changes to qualification process, standardised workouts for semi-finals
- Officials will programme the workouts for all individual and team semi-finals globally and allocate spots according to the strength of the field
- CrossFit say the biggest change is the splitting of North America competitions into two regions, east and west
Officials have altered the qualification process for the CrossFit Games, and with it the structure of the 2023 season.
According to Justin Bergh, the company’s general manager of sport, the approach is designed to “increase the amount of people who see and participate in our sport, and welcome more people to take up CrossFit training as a result”.
The biggest change for competitors is to the semi-finals, with the number of competitions dropping from 10 to seven.
CrossFit will manage two in North America and one in Europe, and partner with organisers for semi-finals in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
Athletes will compete in the semi-final in their region and will discover where they fall in the structure when they enter The Open.
CrossFit will programme all of the workouts for the individual and team semi-finals, but the Last Chance Qualifier has been cut.
Previously, there were four semi-finals in North America and two in Europe. Although the number has been reduced, the amount of places up for grabs at the Games for North America and Europe will remain the same.
“There will be a baseline number of CrossFit Games-qualifying spots for each semi-final. In lieu of the Last Chance Qualifier, the final Games-qualifying spots will be allocated from the semi-finals according to a ranking system based on the strength of the field,” a statement said.
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The Open
The 2023 season starts with The Open, which will run from February 16 to March 6. Athletes must upload a video to validate their score, with officials deciding an on-site judge is no longer sufficient.
Once The Open is over, the four person teams must select a six person rota, which is fixed for the season.
Adaptive athletes will be able to mark their workouts as scaled, and make modifications according to their abilities.
The top 10 per cent of individuals and age group athletes from The Open progress to the quarter finals. The top 25 per cent of teams advance.
The CrossFit quarter finals
The dates are to be confirmed.
Teams and age group athletes will have a 24 hour window to submit their scores, reduced from three. Individuals will still have three.
Athletes can compete in as many competitions as they qualify for – for example, as an individual and on a team.
The top 60 women, top 60 men and the top 40 teams, will advance from the quarter finals and compete at the North American East, North American West and European semi-finals.
The top 30 women and men, and the top 20 teams, will be invited to compete at each of the semi-finals in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
The CrossFit semi-finals
This is the stage with the most changes. The dates are yet to be confirmed.
Previously, athletes picked their semi-final, and travelled to compete. Now, the semi-finals will be regionalised, and athletes will be assigned a region based on their citizenship.
They will know which semi-final they will compete in when they register for The Open.
All the workouts will be standardised and programmed centrally by CrossFit.
There will be no seeding process, as previously used. There will be a set number of Games spots up for grabs at each semi-final. There may be additional Games spots up for grabs depending on the strength of the field at any given semi-final.
The top 40 Individual Women, Men and Teams, as well as the top 10 athletes in each Age Group will advance to the CrossFit Games, which is the same as before.
The Games
The Games will take place on Tuesday, August 1 to Sunday August 6, 2023, in Madison, Wisconsin with a new six-day format.
