Coronavirus forces CrossFit Games 2020 behind closed doors to avoid cancellation; competition moves to California
- ‘We are concentrating on a competition in Aromas, the original home of the CrossFit Games,’ says organisers
- The Games were originally scheduled to take place in Madison, Wisconsin, from July 29 to August 2
The 2020 CrossFit Games will be moved from Madison, Wisconsin, where it has been held since 2017, and will not feature fans.
CrossFit Inc. said in a statement it is focusing on moving its flagship event to Aromas, the original home of the CrossFit Games.
“We remain fully committed to planning a live competition with live media coverage,” said the statement on CrossFit’s website. “At this point, we are concentrating on a competition in Aromas, the original home of the CrossFit Games.”
Aromas is south of the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz where CrossFit originally started in founder Greg Glassman’s garage in 2000.
“We are also evaluating options for virtual competition. We will continue to monitor events globally and will have more details for athletes and fans in the coming months.”
Many North American professional sports leagues are considering resuming play without fans, but nothing concrete has been made public by the NBA or NHL, which had their action halted midseason. The PGA Tour is reportedly looking at resuming tour stops in June, without spectators.
US health and infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci said during a White House press conference this week that sport could come back, but without fans and in isolated circumstances.
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“The Games will not be a public event,” CrossFit said. “Due to sweeping decisions to ban large festivals and sporting events for the foreseeable future, we are suspending the on-site spectator experience for this year.
“For fans who have purchased tickets, camping, or hospitality packages, Ticketmaster, who holds these payments until after any physical event, will be issuing full refunds. CrossFit will be issuing full refunds to exhibitors.”
