On Feb 18, 2021, CrossFit HQ announced the 10 event organizers across six different continents that will host a Semifinal event for qualification to the 2021 CrossFit Games. The Semifinals will take place in-person across the four weekends spanning May 24 through June 14, 2021.
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North America
There will be four Semifinal events held in North America:
- CrossFit Atlas Games — Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — Washington D.C., U.S.
- Granite Games — Minnesota, U.S.
- West Coast Classic — California, U.S.
In total, the top 120 men, 120 women, and 80 teams in North America from the Quarterfinals will be eligible to compete. The top five men, top five women, and top five teams from each of the four Semifinals will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Europe
There will be two Semifinal events held in Europe:
- CrossFit Lowland Throwdown — Apeldoorn, Netherlands
- CrossFit GermanThrowdown — Berlin, Germany
Between both events, the top 60 men, 60 women, and 40 teams in Europe from the Quarterfinals will be eligible to compete. The top five men, top five women, and top five teams from each Semifinal will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
South America
There will be one Semifinal event held in South America:
- Brazil CrossFit Championship — Sao Paulo, Brazil
The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in South America from the Quarterfinals will be eligible to compete. The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from the Semifinal will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
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Asia
There will be one Semifinal event held in Asia:
- CrossFit Asia Invitational — South Korea
The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in Asia from the Quarterfinals will be eligible to compete. The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from the Semifinal will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Africa
There will be one Semifinal event held in Africa:
- CrossFit Fittest In Capetown — Cape Town, South Africa
The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in Africa from the Quarterfinals will be eligible to compete. The top man, woman, and team from the Semifinal will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Oceania
There will be one Semifinal event held in Australia:
- Torian Pro — Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in Oceania from the Quarterfinals will be able to compete. The top three men, top three women, and top three teams from the Semifinal will advance to the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Following the completion of the Semifinals events, athletes who came within three spots of qualifying for the 2021 CrossFit Games will score an invite to a Last-Chance Qualifier held on the week of June 28, 2021.
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2021 CrossFit Games Season Recap
The 2021 CrossFit season is unlike any other. In case you need a refresher, here’s a quick breakdown of the Games qualification process:
- Compete in the Open (online), starting March 11, 2021
- Place in the top 10% of athletes on your continent (or 25% if you’re a Team competitor). Or, if you’re an age-group competitor, place in the top 10% of your group worldwide.
- Compete in Quarterfinals (online), starting on April 5 for Individuals, April 19 for Teams, and May 3 for Masters & Teens.
- There will be four Semifinal events in North America, two in Europe, and one each in Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania. Here are the number of athletes that will be invited to compete at each Semifinal event by continent:
- The top 120 men and women and 80 teams (30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in each of the four Semifinals) in North America.
- The top 60 men and women and 40 teams (30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams in each of the two Semifinals) in Europe.
- The top 30 men and women and 20 teams from Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania, respectively.
- There will be four Semifinal events in North America, two in Europe, and one each in Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania. Here are the number of athletes that will be invited to compete at each Semifinal event by continent:
- The Age-Group Online Qualifier takes place from May 6-10, 2021. The top 20 men and women in each age division will qualify to move on to the Games.
- Qualified athletes will compete in the Semifinals, starting on May 24, 2021, and taking place over four consecutive weekends, which will feature 10 in-person events hosted across six continents. The top five men, women, and teams will advance to the Games from both North America and Europe. The top three men, women, and teams will move onto the Games from Oceania. The top two men, women, and teams will advance to the Games from both Asia and South America. Africa will send one man, one woman, and one team to the Games.
- The Last-Chance qualifier will take place from June 28 through July 4, 2021, and will allow athletes who finished within three spots of a Games qualifying position to compete. At the end of the weekend, the top two men and women from the Last-Chance Qualifier will advance to the Games.
The 2021 CrossFit Games are currently scheduled for the week of July 26 in Madison, WI.
A New Champ Will Be Crowned
The 2021 CrossFit Games will crown a new Fittest Man on Earth® as reigning five-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser has officially retired from competitive CrossFit. Many teams, including reigning champions Team Mayhem Freedom led by four-time Fittest Man on Earth® Rich Froning, will look different to comply with the new “100-mile rule” — which states that members of each Team must live within 100 miles of the affiliate they represent.
Whoever ultimately ascends the podium as Fittest on Earth® at the conclusion of the Games on Aug. 1, 2021, will have gotten there through the Open, the Quarterfinals, the Semifinals, and potentially a Last-Chance Qualifier. With the Open starting on March 11, it’s anyone’s game.
Featured image: @crossfitgames on Instagram