Austin, Madison, Denver in Contention to Host CrossFit Games in 2023

It’s a hot topic that CrossFit is keeping pretty tight-lipped about — which city will be the next host of CrossFit Games? Before we get ahead of ourselves, Madison, WI still has one year remaining on their contract, and they too could be in the running to crown the fittest man and woman on earth. So which cities are in the running for an opportunity to become the new pinnacle of fitness and rake in millions from the economic impact come 2023?

Quick reminder: CrossFit began accepting letters of intent in the spring of 2021 with full proposals due September 1, 2021. 

Potential cities: It is a small but mighty list. Here are the cities we could confirm submitted bids to be the new CrossFit Games host:

• Madison, Wisconsin
• Austin, Texas
• Denver, Colorado

The list could be much more extensive, but CrossFit declined to provide us with information as to which cities submitted bids and were being reviewed.

What they’re saying: Going into their fifth season hosting the CrossFit Games, Madison is looking to remain home base for the Games even after this upcoming season. 

• “The CrossFit Games have been an incredible event for the city of Madison. The Games are reflective of our city’s passion for fitness, and we have seen our community embrace the sport, athletes and spectators each year,” Jamie Patrick, Vice President of the Madison Area Sports Commission said.
• Based on a study from Ohio University, the economic impact in 2018 was an estimated $28.5 million for the city of Madison.
• “Madison Area Sports Commission has responded to CrossFit’s RFP with our proposal, and we are appreciative of the opportunity to host the CrossFit Games beyond 2022,” said the Madison Area Sports Commission.

As for Austin, Texas, while they did submit their letter of intent to bid by the July 1 deadline, they did not submit a proposal by the September 1 deadline.

• “We are continuing to work to submit a bid in the event we can get additional items from our side of things to be approved,” said Drew Hays, the director for the Austin Sports Commission.
• At this time, it’s unclear whether CrossFit is moving forward with the city since they did not meet the deadline.

Denver, Colorado submitted their bid and proposal on time, but says they will not discuss the topic while it’s in the selection phase.

The last time the CrossFit Games were planning a move was back in 2016. Based on our records, Jacksonville, Florida opted to submit a bid to potentially host the 2017-2019 CrossFit Games but have not responded to whether they decided to this time around. 

Decision day: Based on the timeline, CrossFit is currently working to review all proposals from eligible cities. Contract negotiations for host cities begin on November 15, so hopefully we will know which city will crown the 2023 fittest man and woman on Earth around the new year.