Opinion | CrossFit Games changes for 2019 are risky – if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
- New system will see athletes from 162 nations qualify for 2019 Games
- But quality of the field could be weakened with a lot less Americans
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a time-worn adage but not one that CrossFit Inc. seem to be heeding.
The organisation has divided the CrossFit community by overhauling the qualification process for the 2019 CrossFit Games, with many fans questioning the need for changes.
Gone are the old Regionals. Instead now the CrossFit Open will crown 162 male, female and team national champions from each nation with a CrossFit affiliate. They will all be in Madison, Wisconsin next August, along with the winners of 16 newly-sanctioned events acting as invitationals.
These 16 events span the globe, in an attempt to give the sport a more international flavour. The first qualifier takes place in Dubai in December, with the 2019 schedule kicking off in Australia in January, before taking in other stops in Iceland, China, Dubai, South Africa, France, Brazil, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Argentina.
Of course, the US still gets a look in with four events. But there’s the rub – CrossFit as a sport originated in North America, and most of its best athletes are from there. And now some of them are likely to miss out on qualifying for the 2019 Games.