Late this afternoon, the first official sanctioned CrossFit Qualifier for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games season was announced in a press release on PR Newswire. The first announced CrossFit Qualifier is set to take place at the Dubai CrossFit Championship — previously known as the Dubai Fitness Championships — in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which kick off December 12th and run through the 15th.
This four day competition is now the first of the officially sanctioned CrossFit Qualifiers to be announced for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games season, and CrossFit tells readers to expect more announcements to follow in the next couple months. All in all, sources suggest there will be up to 16 sanctioned qualifiers leading up to the Games. In the corresponding press release, CrossFit states,
“The announcement is part of recent changes designed to refocus CrossFit on its core mission of preventing and reversing chronic disease while expanding the opportunities for athletes to qualify for the CrossFit Games through sanctioned events.”
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Greg Glassman, CrossFit’s Founder & Chairman, goes on to say in the release,
“The Dubai CrossFit Championship marks the beginning of a new chapter for CrossFit… The miracle of CrossFit happens in each one of our affiliates that help people get healthy and stay that way. Partnering with organizations like the folks in Dubai means we can really focus on that core mission. Through CrossFit sanctioned events like the Dubai CrossFit Championship, we’ll be able to keep pace with the growth of this international sport.”
And similar to what was reported on last week when new potential Games changes surfaced, the top male and female from each event will qualify for the Games, and these 16 sanctioned competitions will be replacing CrossFit Regionals. In the press release CrossFit also writes,
“CrossFit sanctioned competitions are replacing CrossFit’s regional events and will become a direct pathway for the top men, women, and team finishers to receive invitations to compete in the CrossFit Games.”
If you missed the initial report on all of the potential changes for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games season, then take a moment and check out this article that covers the initial changes reported (though some are still yet to be confirmed by an official statement from CrossFit).
Feature image from @crossfitgames Instagram page.
