CrossFit Games
The CrossFit Games are an annual athletic competition owned and operated by CrossFit, Inc. and currently sponsored by Reebok. The competition has been held every summer since 2007. Athletes at the Games compete in workouts they learn about days, hours, or minutes beforehand. The workouts consist mostly of an assortment of standard aerobic, weightlifting, and gymnastics movements, as well as some additional surprise elements that are not part of the typical CrossFit regimen, such as obstacle courses, ocean swimming, softball throwing, or ascending a pegboard. Winners of the CrossFit Games earn the cash prizes and the title of "Fittest on Earth."
History
In 2007, the inaugural CrossFit Games were contested in Aromas, California, on a small ranch owned by the family of Games director Dave Castro. For the initial Games in 2007 and 2008, participation was open to anyone who made it to Aromas. The Games would also award an Affiliate Cup to the group from one CrossFit gym that had the best combined individual standings. In 2009, competitors had to qualify after over a hundred athletes had shown up in 2008. The athletes earned an invitation through either placing high enough in the previous year or through placing in the top worldwide in a set of qualifying events called Regionals hosted at a few CrossFit gyms. The CrossFit Games also added a separate set of team-based events for the Affiliate Cup, marking the first use of a designated Team Division, with teams of four.Interest and participation in the event continued to grow, and in 2010, the qualification was adjusted to include hosting multiple Sectionals, a series of events open to all athletes in order to qualify for the one of the 17 Regionals. The 17 regions had Canada and the United States divided into 12 regions, with the remaining regions roughly corresponding the five other populated continents. The attendance at the Games also outgrew the ranch in Aromas and moved the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The Games also expanded the Team Division to groups of six athletes and added a Masters Division for individual men and women 55-years-old and up.
In 2011, the open participation Sectionals were replaced by an online qualification called the Open. In 2011, 26,000 athletes signed up to compete in the Open. In 2012–2018, participation was 69,000, 138,000, 209,000, 273,000, 324,307, 380,000, and 415,000 respectively.
In 2015, the qualification format changed from 17 regional events to eight. Each "super-regional" event included qualifiers from two or three of the previously defined regions, totaling 40 or 50 athletes at each event.
Following seven years in Carson, the Games moved to the grounds of the Dane County Expo Center and the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2017. The next year, the qualifying Regionals were once again realigned due to increased competitiveness and popularity outside of Canada and the US. In 2018, there were nine Regionals hosted among 18 redefined regions with Europe increasing to three regions, Central America split from South America, while eliminating the Northern and Southern California regions.
CrossFit, Inc. founder Greg Glassman overhauled the format for the 2019 games, replacing the Regionals with CrossFit-sanctioned international qualifying events. As part of the changes, the 2019 games athletes qualify through being the top individual and team finishers from the sanctioned events, the top athlete from each country in the CrossFit Open, the top 20 overall finishers in the CrossFit Open, and up to four at-large athletes as chosen by CrossFit, Inc. Teams also no longer need to be created from one CrossFit-affiliated gym and can be formed from any four competitors.
With only two months between the 2019 Open and the start of the 2020 Open, participation in the first qualification event decreased from 358,646 in August 2019 to 239,106 in October 2019.
Sponsorship and prize money
Participation and sponsorship have grown rapidly since the inception of the Games. The prize money awarded to each first-place male and female increased from $500 at the inaugural Games to $300,000 for 2019. The largest jump in prize money came from the first Games sponsored by Reebok in 2011 when first place went from $25,000 in 2010 to $250,000 in 2011. The total prize payout in 2016 was $2,200,000.Qualification
Since the 2019 CrossFit Games, the season consists of three ways to qualify: the Open, sanctioned events, and by invitation.The Open
The Open, introduced in 2011 and so-called because participation is open to anyone, is held over five weeks with a new workout released each Thursday night. Competitors complete the workout and submit their scores online by Monday evening, with either a video or validation by a CrossFit affiliate.From 2011 to 2019, the Open was held in February and March. For the 2020 season, the Open moved forward to October 2019 as part of the overhaul for Games qualifications so that it takes place before any of the sanctioned events.
From 2013 to 2018, Open workout announcements were broadcast live, and featured two or more past CrossFit Games athletes competing head-to-head immediately following the workout description. During the 2019 restructuring, CrossFit dissolved its own media crew leading to other companies, such as Rogue Fitness, having its own broadcasts of competitive athletes completing the workouts when they are announced.
As of the 2019 Games, the top athlete from each country and the top 20 overall Open finishers qualify directly to the Games. The Open is also used for seeding purposes at the Games even if an athlete qualified through the sanctioned events; if an athlete qualifies through a sanctioned event but does not do the Open, they will be seeded at the bottom.
Sanctioned events
Between 2009 and 2018, competitors qualified for the Games through participation at CrossFit Games regional events. For the 2019 Games, CrossFit, Inc. discontinued hosting the Regional qualifier and instead sanctioned independent fitness events as qualifiers separate from the Open. These events were trademarked as "Sanctionals" by CrossFit, LLC. Most of the sanctioned events were already widely participated in by CrossFit Games athletes, often used as a part of off-season training, around the world. Each sanctioned event has its own rules for participation, but athletes that attend the sanctioned events are either by invite or through the event's qualification process. Twenty-eight sanctioned events were announced for the 2020 season.If an athlete or team wins multiple sanctioned events, the runners-up from the later events will qualify to the Games.
Invitation
The CrossFit Games may choose to invite up to four athletes that did not qualify for the games in the Open or sanctioned events as an at-large bid.Divisions
Individual
The marquee events at the CrossFit Games are the men's and women's individual competitions. The first place prize for each currently stands at $300,000.Team
Originally, teams were awarded the "Affiliate Cup" for having the best overall score from the individual athletes that had come from the same CrossFit-affiliated gym. In 2009, the Games began having a separate set of events for affiliate teams and consisted of four to six athletes from the same gym. The next season, the format was finalized to teams of three men and three women. In the 2018 games, each team was changed to four members, two men and two women. In 2019, CrossFit removed the stipulation that team members had to be from the same affiliate. Teams are subject to a similar qualification process as the individuals.Masters and Teens
The Games include age-based divisions for younger and older competitors. Masters divisions were introduced at the 2010 Games. There are currently six divisions each for women and men: 35–39, 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, and 60+. Divisions for teenagers were introduced in 2015: the age ranges are 14–15 and 16–17, for both boys and girls.Rather than regional events, masters and teen athletes qualify for the games by a second online competition following the Open. The top 200 athletes in each division worldwide are invited to compete in this qualifier, of which the top 10 advance to the Games.
Prior to the introduction of these secondary online qualifiers, masters and teens competitors qualified for the Games directly from the Open.
Controversies
Due to CrossFit's official partnership with Reebok, competitors at the 2015 Games were banned from wearing Nike footwear. Nike arranged for several trucks to be parked near the main entrance to the arena, which served as mobile billboards with the slogan "Don't ban our shoe, beat our shoe". The partnership also prohibits Nike from labeling its Metcon shoes as intended for CrossFit – the brand uses the term "high intensity training" instead.CrossFit's decision to award winners of the 2016 Games with handguns resulted in widespread criticism from members and sponsors. Resulting protests forced the temporary closure of two CrossFit locations in New York City.
Broadcasting and media
In 2011, ESPN began to broadcast the CrossFit Games, with live coverage streamed through ESPN3, and some television coverage on ESPN2. As the event grew, ESPN expanded its television coverage; in 2014, the network entered into a multi-year deal to continue broadcasting the CrossFit Games, and coverage expanded to nine-and-a-half hours on ESPN and ESPN2 by 2015.In 2017, the event began a new broadcast arrangement with CBS Sports, with television coverage on CBS Sports Network, and a total of 40 hours of digital streaming coverage. CrossFit also streamed coverage through Facebook and their website.
Champions by year and category
Individual and Team champions| Year | Individual Men | Individual Women | Team |
| 2007 | James Fitzgerald | Jolie Gentry | CrossFit Santa Cruz |
| 2008 | Jason Khalipa | Caity Matter | CrossFit Oakland |
| 2009 | Mikko Salo | Tanya Wagner | Northwest CrossFit |
| 2010 | Graham Holmberg | Kristan Clever | CrossFit Fort Vancouver |
| 2011 | Rich Froning Jr. | Annie Thorisdottir | CrossFit New England |
| 2012 | Rich Froning Jr. | Annie Thorisdottir | Hack's Pack UTE |
| 2013 | Rich Froning Jr. | Samantha Briggs | Hack's Pack UTE |
| 2014 | Rich Froning Jr. | Camille Leblanc-Bazinet | CrossFit Invictus |
| 2015 | Ben Smith | Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir | CrossFit Mayhem Freedom |
| 2016 | Mathew Fraser | Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir | CrossFit Mayhem Freedom |
| 2017 | Mathew Fraser | Tia-Clair Toomey | Wasatch CrossFit |
| 2018 | Mathew Fraser | Tia-Clair Toomey | CrossFit Mayhem Freedom |
| 2019 | Mathew Fraser | Tia-Clair Toomey | CrossFit Mayhem Freedom |
Masters men's champions
Masters women's champions
Teens champions
| Year | 14–15 Boys | 14–15 Girls | 16–17 Boys | 16–17 Girls |
| 2015 | Angelo Dicicco | Sydney Sullivan | Nicholas Paladino | Isabella Vallejo |
| 2016 | Vincent Ramirez | Kaela Stephano | Nicholas Paladino | Allison Weiss |
| 2017 | Dallin Pepper | Chloe Smith | Angelo Dicicco | Kaela Stephano |
| 2018 | Tudor Magda | Olivia Sulek | Dallin Pepper | Haley Adams |
| 2019 | David Bradley | Emma Cary | Dallin Pepper | Chloe Smith |