According to a press release by CrossFitHQ, the CrossFit Italian Showdown scheduled for April 24th-26th at the Riccione Play Hall in Northern Italy will now take place online instead due to the government lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) made the assessment that the outbreak can be characterized as a pandemic — an epidemic that has spread across multiple continents — on March 11th.
The CrossFit Italian Showdown is the fifteenth CrossFit Sanctionals® competition of the 2020 season and the newest addition to the growing list of events that have had to cancel, postpone, or make significant adjustments such as prohibiting spectators to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The list includes the Arnold Sports Festival, the Asian, European, and African Weightlifting Championships, and the Olympic Flame lighting ceremony.
[Related: Check out the results of the Australian CrossFit Championship.]
CrossFit Italian Showdown stated in their coronavirus update that:
“At this stage there is no guarantee that the situation will change soon, so there is no reason to wait any longer to make a decision. Running the Italian Showdown in April is not an option, not even postponing it to July. Health comes first.”
It was made explicitly clear in CrossFit Italian Showdown’s official statement that the Italian invitation to the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games will still be awarded to winners in all divisions. All other prizes will also be awarded to all podium finishers despite the competition taking place online.
Here is additional information regarding the CrossFit Italian Showdown:
- Registered athletes will retain the right to compete again once the lockdown is suspended.
- Registered athletes will be admitted automatically.
- Spectator tickets will be maintained.
- The in-person CrossFit Showdown Championship will take place using the same format and venue at a future date TBD.
[Related: Check out the full recap of the Brazilian CrossFit Championship.]
CrossFitHQ will extend invites to the newly eligible male, female, and team competitors once the video review process is completed.
Feature image from CrossFit Italian Showdown’s Instagram page: @italianshowdown