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The CrossFit Games is an athletic competition sponsored by Crossfit Inc. and Reebok. The competition has been held every summer since 2007. Athletes at the Games compete in workouts that they learn about hours or days beforehand, consisting 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 ocean swimming, softball throwing, or ascending a pegboard. The Games are styled as a venue for determining the "Fittest on Earth," where competitors should be "ready for anything."
Contents
History
The CrossFit Games began as a small competition and has grown since its inception in 2007. The first CrossFit Games were held at a small ranch in Aromas, California, owned by Dave Castro’s family, the director of the CrossFit Games. Due to the growth of the sport, the Games were held at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, from 2010 to 2016. In 2017, the Games will be held outside of California for the first time when it is hosted at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
The CrossFit Games season involves three stages for competitors. Since 2011, the Open has been the first stage of the qualification process to compete in the CrossFit Games. The Open was created as an online format to facilitate participation by athletes worldwide. Prior to the introduction of the Open, the preponderance of competitors were American (though the 2009 individual men's champion, Mikko Salo, is from Finland, and the 2010 women's runner-up, Annie Thorisdottir, is from Iceland). During the Open, a new workout is released each week on Thursday night and athletes have until Monday evening (Pacific Time) to complete the workout and submit their scores online, with either a video or validation by a CrossFit affiliate. Beginning in 2013, CrossFit began airing live announcements for the Open workouts and would have past CrossFit Games athletes immediately complete the workout in a head-to-head competition. Athletes are ranked worldwide and by region. The top CrossFit Open performers in each region advance to the regional events. The top men, women, and teams from each regional competition go to the CrossFit Games. In 2016, those athletes that qualify for the Games receive between $1,000 and $5,000 based on their standing at the end of the weekend.
The Games include divisions for individuals of each gender, for a number of Masters age groups, and for co-ed teams. In 2015, the Games added two younger individual divisions for teenagers: 14–15 and 16–17. In 2017, the Games further expanded by adding a 35–39 Masters division, the first expansion to the Masters since 2013. Both Masters and Teens qualify through the Open at the same time as the individuals and teams, but usually with slightly altered events for each age division. Since 2014, instead of going to a regional qualifying event, the top 200 Masters and Teens in each division of the Open have a second on-line qualifier which consists of several workouts that must be completed over a single weekend and the top 20 finishers qualify for the Games. Prior to the secondary online qualifier, the top finishers in the Open for the Masters (from 2011 to 2013) and the Teens (for 2015 and 2016) in each division qualified directly from the Open.
Rogue Fitness has been the primary supplier of equipment to the CrossFit Games and regional events since 2010. Fifteen semi-trucks of equipment were needed to supply the 2013 CrossFit Games.
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.
Popularity
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 $275,000 in 2013-2016. 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.
In 2011, 26,000 athletes signed up to compete in the "Open". In 2012-2016, participation was 69,000, 138,000, 209,000, 273,000, and 324,307 respectively. In 2016, 175 countries were represented by registered participants.
Champions by year and category
Individual and Team Champions
Masters Men's Champions
Masters Women's Champions
Teens Champions