OpinionCrossFit Games 2020: balance and order restored after tumultuous year for the sport
- A global pandemic and a controversy surrounding CrossFit’s founder brought the sport and the company to its knees
- Through adversity, CrossFit now looks towards 2021 with a fresh face at the helm, new superstars and a renewed sense of vigour
It’s been a tough year for CrossFit.
On top of a global pandemic which ended the season before spring, axing some 17 Sanctionals in the process, the Games almost never went off. They were pushed back, then scaled down, and the team competition which features Rich Froning, a fan favourite and the sport’s godfather, was axed.
In the end, 30 men and 30 women competed online via their home gyms, and then 10 made their way to Aromas in California for a three-day final. The fact that many of the events took place at the birthplace of the sport, “The Ranch”, was fitting, as 2020 has been a storied year of destruction, rebirth and renewal for CrossFit.
There were no country champions, no fans, no atmosphere, but CrossFit got its Games done in a bubble format, much like other professional sporting leagues have done in this pandemic landscape.
