CrossFit: 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is the dream for functional fitness lobby group

Former CrossFit lawyer Gretchen Kittelberger started the federation in hope of bringing more legitimacy to the sport

CrossFit Inc. and the International Functional Fitness Federation now have work cut out educating world about the name and the brand

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Could we see CrossFit athletes in a “functional fitness” competition at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles? Photo: CrossFit Games

Published: 8:00pm, 21 Jan 2021Updated: 8:00pm, 21 Jan 2021

One of the biggest hurdles in getting CrossFit into the Olympic Games may lie in something as simple as a name.

Gretchen Kittelberger, the president of the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3), said explaining how CrossFit the sport, and CrossFit the company, fit within the functional fitness world is a bit of a tongue-twister.

“Sport names are generic and anyone can use the name of the sport. For example, if you organise a mixed martial arts tournament in your city, you wouldn’t say you were running a UFC tournament. UFC is a brand, the same way CrossFit is a brand, and they get to control who uses their name.”

Kittelberger, a former lawyer for CrossFit, started the federation in 2016 when she saw a need for a governing body for a sport that continues to add fans and “boxes”, as CrossFit gyms are known, and grow organically around the world. CrossFit has about 15,000 gyms in more than 150 countries.

Gretchen Kittelberger, the president of the International Functional Fitness Federation, said getting CrossFit into the Olympics will be no easy task. Photo: Handout

She said the skill and athleticism she has seen at the CrossFit Games is on par with Olympic athletes, and making a case for CrossFit, which would be called functional fitness, isn’t far-fetched.

The federation’s move comes at an interesting and potentially fruitful time in relation to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC is clearly trying to engage the next generation of fans as it deals with a string of controversies, ranging from allegations of corruption, cost overruns and claims of human rights abuses by host nations.