The CrossFit Games is an annual competition owned and run by CrossFit. Athletes compete in a series of events, which will likely include various typical CrossFit workouts consisting of metabolic conditioning exercises, weightlifting, and gymnastics movements, as well as a range of events from other sports such as swimming and cycling.
The events often include unexpected elements to challenge the athletes’ readiness to compete and are designed to test the athletes both physically, and mentally.
For those who watched the 2020 Games for example, the ‘Ranch Loop’ event encapsulated this completely, where athletes were sent on a 3 mile trail run, only to be told at the ‘finish line’ that they were only halfway, and had to run back to the start to complete the event!
The CrossFit Games started in 2007 and has been held every year since, usually in the summer. The first competition was held at a ranch in Aromas, California, with small groups of participants and spectators, but the CrossFit Games rapidly grew, and within a few years, the competition was moved to larger venues at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, followed by the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
The 2021 CrossFit Games will take place in Madison, from July 27th through to August 1st. The fittest men, women, teams, teenagers and masters who have emerged from the first stages of the Games season will tested, challenged and pushed to their limits for a chance to earn the title of ‘Fittest on Earth’.
So what has the 2022 Season consisted of so far – and what have the qualifying athletes had to do to get to the Games?
The Open (February 24th – March 14th)
For those readers who were members back in the early part of this year, you’ll remember that the 2022 season kicked off at the end of February, with the three-week CrossFit Open. The Open consisted of a series of three workouts, released over the course of 3 weeks. Hundreds of thousands of athletes registered and took part, including some from SCFIT! Many others joined in on various versions of the workouts, enjoying the Open as a celebration of the CrossFit Community.
Quarterfinals (March 24th – April 24th)
Participants in the Open were separated on a continental basis, with only the top 10% on each continent from the Open qualifying for the Quarterfinals. Qualifying athletes were then required to complete five workouts over a long weekend, in the hopes to earn places at the next stage: The Semis. Competitors were ranked by continents; the top 120 men and women and 80 teams from the quarterfinals in North America qualified for the semifinals, while the top 60 men and women and 40 teams in Europe, and the top 30 men and women and 20 teams from each of the continents of Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania also qualified.
Semifinals (May 20th – June 12th)
Qualifying participants then competed in their own regions (continents), but each individual Semifinal was organised independently and responsible for programmeming most of their workouts. CrossFit provided two workouts which each Semi Final event had to include, as a way of standardising the events.
A total of 10 Semifinals were scheduled in 6 continents spread over four weeks starting May 20th, each one taking place over a long weekend. Four semifinals were held in North America, two in Europe, one each in South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. One of the European events was the much talked about ‘Strength In Depth’ held at the Excel Arena in London, where a number of The SCFIT Members headed to watch the semi-finalists and get involved in the action! Five men, five women and five teams qualified from each of the North American and European semifinals, three from Oceania, two from Asia and South America and one from Africa.
For a full lowdown, check out the CrossFit Games Season Overview!
The Finals: The CrossFit Games
This is it: the big one. So we know what it is, and how athletes have found themselves there… now how do we watch it?
Well…. the CrossFit Games starts TODAY!
All divisions will be broadcast live from the Alliant Energy Centre in Madison, available on the Games homepage as well as on their official YouTube and Twitch channels as well their Facebook page. Check out the Games Site here to find out timings and links to the streaming platforms!
You may have also noticed a little move-around in The SCFIT Members’ Social area… we’ve made space for a projector to stream the events inside the gym so you can catch the action before or after your fitness fix!
What about the CrossFit Games documentary?
As previous years, there will most likely be an epic feature-film length documentary released following the men’s and women’s events – but you’ll have to be patient! In the meantime, the 2021 CrossFit Games documentary ‘Fittest on Earth: Next Gen’ has just been released, and can currently be streamed exclusively via iTunes – for the ideal warm-up to this year’s games, and the perfect way to get excited for the coming week’s events!
Anything else we need to know?
Some of the workouts have already been released, including a much-talked-about spicy, heavy jerk and run combo, but many are still yet to be revealed! As well as the official CrossFit Games site, we recommend checking out the Morning Chalk Up, where a helpful list of the various events and when they’re happening is listed.
So grab your popcorn, and check out the schedule in advance, and join in on the CrossFit Games excitement this week!
Keen to find out what CrossFit is all about at a local, friendly and welcoming gym? Come and meet us! Book you free No Sweat Intro now.