CrossFit Considering Multiple “Contingency Plans” Including Cancellation, Going Online
The Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro told Talking Elite Fitness co-hosts Tommy Marquez and Sean Woodland in a live interview that the Games staff is looking at all possible contingency plans for the 2020 Games, including canceling the event outright. Castro made it clear that a go/no go date for a decision is “approaching quickly.”
The Coronavirus has sent a shockwave through the 2019-2020 Games season — 13 Sanctionals have postponed, one has moved online entirely and other organizers are considering not holding their events at all this season.
The big picture: Conversations about an outright cancellation of the season have been circulating among industry leaders and stakeholders since early last week, but this is the first time a CrossFit Games official has hinted that it’s being considered. Castro is well known for being tight-lipped and keeping information close.
Here’s what he said:
- “We’re looking at a lot of contingency plans, obviously one big one being not doing [the Games] that’s looking more and more likely to happen.”
- “There’s delaying it, there’s delaying it a year just skipping the year, there’s also talk about doing it online, so we’re looking at all options.”
- “The online option sounds intriguing, interesting, kind of who we are in some degree, foundationally we start online what if it was to end online and everyone was able to play even, not over the course of five weekends but maybe over the course of a weekend just like the Games. That needs to be fleshed out but these are some of the things we’re looking at and talking about.”
- “I think there’s a lot of value in just holding tight for a little bit longer and watching how all this plays out.”
One big thing: When asked about the hypothetical scenario that the Games is canceled and what that would mean for the Games qualifiers/invitees, Castro admitted it wasn’t entirely his call but said “my suggestion would be start over, don’t carry over.”