For a long time, CrossFit was purely a training program that did not involve regular competitions. Some athletes competed among themselves, but such occurrences were rare and spontaneous. As the popularity of this sport grew, more people from different parts of the world sought to challenge their skills, which led to the origin of the globall CrossFit games in 2007. Let’s find out more about this amazing event and why it is so popular among fans of an active lifestyle.
The Background and Rise of the CrossFit Contest
Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, did not want to hold any competitions for a long time, since it was assumed that this technique was aimed at personal development and not competition. But even Greg himself could not have foreseen such a frenetic rate of growth in the popularity of his training program, which led to the fact that people from all over the globe began to compete with each other, trying to surpass each other in terms of strength and endurance. In this regard, Greg decided to support people’s hobbies and started the world’s initial international contest in California on a tiny cozy ranch. The initial contest was attended by only 70 competitors and about 150 fans, but already in 2009, about 15,000 people applied for involvement.
Initially, the selection for taking part in the games was carried out immediately before the start of the games by passing a special round-robin training at the ranch. Then it was decided to hold qualifying rounds in all specialized gyms around the world, which made it possible to significantly increase the number of athletes. Thus, in 2014, 210,000 athletes have already applied.
Such excitement among athletes has attracted many fans from all over the globe, making the CrossFit Games among the top spectacular and amazing contests in the world of sports.
Features of CrossFit games
The CrossFit World Championship has many differences from classic sports. In all other disciplines, competitors know exactly what awaits them at the contest and prepare in accordance with the official regulations. In the case of CrossFit contests, the competitors do not know until the last moment what exactly awaits them at the main championship, the game program is kept in the strictest confidence until the very start of the tournament.
The most unexpected challenges for athletes were:
- Swim in the open sea
- obstacle course
- Running in the dirt
- Rock climbing
- Rope
- softball throw
Every year the tests become more difficult and more amazing.
Based on the large number and diversity of athletes, different skill levels are provided depending on the training, age, and gender of the contestants. There are also group and individual competitions.
The main types of tournaments are:
- Personal offset – for singles contestants
- Group standings – for crews
- Old people and teens – test for various age categories from 14 to 75 years old
- Adaptive – credit for athletes with physical impairment
Be Part of the Community!
Watching such competitions you get unprecedented pleasure and adrenaline rush. The entertainment of these CrossFit contests can challenge the top reputable world sports events. If you feel like trying your hand yourself, you can qualify for the games regardless of your age, gender, or physical ability. Train and win!