Florida Times-Union Reports Three Cities Are Finalists for 2017 CrossFit Games
In an article published Friday on Jacksonville.com, sports journalist Gene Frenette reported the competition to land the 2017 CrossFit Games has come down to three finalists: Jacksonville, Florida; Boston, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
CrossFit Games General Manager Justin Bergh announced earlier this year that the event would be looking for a new location after calling Carson, California’s StubHub Center (formerly Home Depot Center) home since 2010. CrossFit released a Request for Proposal (RFP) that including a list of desires from potential host cities, and numerous locations submitted applications by the spring 2016 deadline.
Now, it looks like there are at least three left in the running, though we don’t have confirmation from CrossFit itself if the list is exhaustive of finalists left in the hunt.
From the Times-Union article:
Jacksonville is one of three finalists (Boston, Minneapolis) for the annual CrossFit Games, a one-week sporting event that delivers $50-70 million in economic impact. That’s almost double the Georgia-Florida game. No wonder Jacksonville Sports Council administrator Alan Verlander made an emergency trip home from vacation when CrossFit officials unexpectedly dropped in this week.
CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro has been hinting at possible locations on his scouting tour, posting updates from Jacksonville in addition to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Madison, Wisconsin. While he hasn’t posted from Boston or Minneapolis (yet), both cities seem like reasonable locations to hold the event — especially given their more temperate summers compared to locations like Southern California or Florida.
No word yet on when the Games’ new home will officially be announced, but it’s looking more and more like the event will be leaving California for the first time since its inception back in 2007. (The Games was held at a ranch in Aromas from 2007-2009 before moving to Carson in 2010.)
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