On Feb. 2, 2021, CrossFit HQ shared new details regarding the Semifinals and Last-Chance Qualifiers for the 2021 CrossFit Games. Included in the updates are how many Semifinal events each continent will host, the number of athletes that will compete in the Semifinals and qualify for the Games, and which athletes will be invited to compete in a Last-Chance Qualifier following the completion of the Semifinal events.
To qualify for the 2021 CrossFit Games, athletes must participate in up to three phases of competition: the Open, the Quarterfinals, and the Semifinals. North America will host four Semifinals, Europe will host two, and each other continent will host one.
Additionally, the deadline “for any owners who wish to change their Licensee of Record (LOR) or establish a new address for team qualification” has been extended to Feb. 15, 2021. This is an important addition of time for potential teams competing to adhere to the new “100-mile rule” which states that “team athletes all must live within 100 miles of the CrossFit affiliate they are representing” in section 1.14 of the CrossFit Games Rulebook.
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Semifinals Updates
Each continent will host at least one Semifinal event which offers 2021 CrossFit Games qualification opportunities to individual athletes and teams.
North America
- Four Semifinal events.
- The top 120 men, 120 women, and 80 teams total will be invited to compete. Each Semifinal event will include 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams.
- The top five men, top five women, and top five teams from each Semifinal competition will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Europe
- Two Semifinal events.
- The top 60 men, 60 women, and 40 teams will be invited to compete. Each Semifinal event will include 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams.
- The top five men, top five women, and top five teams from each Semifinal competition will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Oceania
- One Semifinal event.
- The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams will be invited to compete.
- The top three men, top three women, and top three teams will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Asia
- One Semifinal event.
- The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams will be invited to compete.
- The top two men, top two women, and top two teams will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
South America
- One Semifinal event.
- The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams will be invited to compete.
- The top two men, top two women, and top two teams will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Africa
- One Semifinal event.
- The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams will be invited to compete.
- The top man, woman, and team will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
In total: 38 men, 38 women, and 38 teams will qualify for the Games via the Semifinal events. Two additional men and two additional women will qualify via the Last-Chance Qualifier (more information below).
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Here’s the complete Semifinals schedule from CrossFit HQ. As of March 31, 2021, two of the Semifinals have been converted to virtual events due to COVID-19 restrictions in specific countries. A Catchall Semifinal has also been added to accommodate athletes who can’t travel to their respective Semifinal. Athletes who participate in the Catchall Semifinal will only compete against each other for a chance to advance to the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
CrossFit Games Semifinals Schedule
Here is the schedule for the Semifinals. Note that the number of participants in each event is subject to change pending additional information about the Catchall Semifinal.
Week One — May 28-30, 2021
- Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — Washington D.C., U.S.
- Torian Pro — Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Week Two — June 4-6, 2021
- Granite Games — Minnesota, U.S.
- CrossFit Fittest In Capetown — Cape Town, South Africa
- Brazil CrossFit Championship — Sao Paulo, Brazil
Week Three — June 11-13, 2021
- CrossFit Lowland Throwdown — Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- CrossFit Asia Invitational — South Korea
Week Four — June 18-20, 2021
- West Coast Classic — California, U.S.
- CrossFit Atlas Games — Montreal, Quebec, Canada — Virtual Event
- CrossFit GermanThrowdown — Berlin, Germany — Virtual Event
- Catchall Virtual Event
Quarterfinal Participants and Equipment List
The Quarterfinals will also be virtual. Those who finish in the top 10 percent of their respective continent at the conclusion of the Open qualify for their respective quarterfinal. The number of athletes that translates to for each continent is as follows:
Women’s Division
- North America — 5,359 athletes
- Europe — 1,904 athletes
- Oceania — 779 athletes
- South America — 388 athletes
- Asia — 359 athletes
- Africa — 278 athletes
Men’s Division
- North America — 7,327 athletes
- Europe — 3,402 athletes
- Oceania — 990 athletes
- Asia — 812 athletes
- South America — 703 athletes
- Africa — 421 athletes
On March 31, 2021, CrossFit HQ also released the equipment that folks participating in the Quarterfinals will need. It includes:
- All recommended Open equipment
- 30 feet of flat space suitable for movements covering distance
- 15 feet climbing rope
- Medicine ball 20/14 pounds
- Two dumbbells 50/35 pounds
- Concept2 Rower
- Gymnastic Rings
- GHD
- Squat Rack
Last-Chance Qualifier Updates
The Last-Chance Qualifiers are exactly what their name implies — a final opportunity for athletes who narrowly missed qualifying for the Games via the Semifinals events to still earn a spot to compete on CrossFit’s biggest stage. The Last-Chance Qualifiers are scheduled for the week of June 28 through July 4, 2021.
Per CrossFit’s press release, the Last-Chance Qualifiers are “reserved for Individual athletes that finished within three spots of a Games qualifying position.” Note that that means there will not be a Last-Chance Qualifier for teams.
Each continent will have its own eligibility standard for an invitation to their Last-Chance Qualifier.
- North America — Athletes who finished in sixth through eighth place from each respective Semifinal event.
- Europe — Athletes who finished in sixth through eighth place from each respective Semifinal event.
- Oceania: Athletes who finished in fourth through sixth place at the Semifinal event.
- Asia: Athletes who finished in third through fifth place at the Semifinal event.
- South America: Athletes who finished in third through fifth place at the Semifinal event.
- Africa: Athletes who finished in second through fourth place at the Semifinal event.
At the conclusion of the competition weekend, the top two men and two women from the Last-Chance Qualifier will advance to the Games. In total, 40 men and 40 women will compete in individual competitions at the 2021 CrossFit Games for the title of Fittest on Earth®.
Feature image via CrossFit Games Instagram page: @crossfitgames