2016 Rulebook and Drug Testing Policy

January 14, 2016

CrossFit

The 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games Rulebook and Drug Testing Policy have been released.
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Learn the rules of the competition.
 

The 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games Rulebook and Drug Testing Policy have been released.

These two documents govern the entire season, and are important to read whether you’re a casual competitor or someone looking to advance to the Masters Qualifier, regionals or the Games.

At minimum, everyone should read the Team Eligibility Requirements (1.12 - 1.15) and the rules for Open Region selection (1.05 - 1.06) prior to registering. Those two sections are provided below. 

Drug Testing Policy

  • CrossFit tests year round.

  • All athletes are subject to drug testing at any time once they have registered to compete, including during the Open. The athlete's agreement to abide by the rules and requirements of the 2016 Drug Testing Policy remains in force until the close of the first Open workout in 2017 or until the athlete completes a new registration for the 2017 Open, whichever comes first. (1.08)

  • Prohibited substances CrossFit may screen for include, but are not limited to: stimulants, anabolic agents, diuretics (and other masking agents), and peptide hormones (and their analogues).

  • Research any dietary supplements or performance, stamina, or recovery aids prior to use since many contain banned substances, and often the labeling is not accurate or misleading. You are responsible for what you put in your body.

  • If you use a banned substance for a legitimate medical purpose, be sure to fill out the Therapeutic Use Exemption form prior to competition.

Rulebook

1.05 - Open Registration - Region Selection

During the registration process, athletes will provide information to establish their competitive region for the Open. Athletes will remain assigned to this region throughout regionals and the Games.

Residency requirements used to determine an athlete’s region are NOT based on country of origin, passport held or nationality, but solely on where the athlete is currently living at the close of the first Open workout. For the vast majority of athletes, their region will coincide with where they live, work and train on a daily basis. A map of the 17 Open regions can be found here.

1.06 - Region Selection - Specific Situations

For certain specific situations, additional information is required when determining a competitive region. The guidelines below address the more common examples. 

  • Military personnel (active duty and reserve in all branches) will compete in the region of their Permanent Duty Station/Permanent Change of Station (PCS) as listed on their current orders. Military personnel will compete in this region regardless of Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY) and/or deployment at, or after, the close of the first Open workout. (See Sections 1.12 - 1.15 for team eligibility requirements.)
     

  • College students will compete in the region where they are physically attending school. Therefore, college students will register online using the address where they live, whether on campus or off campus, while attending classes. School breaks or travel during the Open will not change the student’s competitive region. This rule does not apply to college students enrolled in online programs. (See Sections 1.12 - 1.15 for team eligibility requirements.)

  • Frequent travelers will compete in the region where they currently make their home. This is the dwelling to which they regularly return following their travel; where they live when not “on the road.” (See Sections 1.12 - 1.15 for team eligibility requirements.)

Errors in choosing the appropriate region may result in the disqualification of the athlete, or entire team (if applicable). For any questions concerning region selection, please contact support@crossfitgames.com PRIOR to the registration deadline.

1.12 - Team Eligibility Requirements 

Athletes competing for a team must train primarily at that team’s gym (whether a CrossFit affiliate or not) for the duration of the CrossFit Games season. CrossFit requires that the majority of a team member’s training days and workouts take place at the team gym starting Jan. 1. Team members are required to continue training primarily at the team location until the team is eliminated from competition or until the start of the Games. In accordance with this rule, creating a team consisting of athletes who train more at other locations than at the team gym is not acceptable.  (See Section 1.13 - Team Eligibility Requirements - More Than Half Rule, for more detailed information.)

1.13 - T.E.R. - More Than Half Rule 

For team athletes to be eligible to compete in any stage of the CrossFit Games, they must adhere to the More Than Half Rule. The More Than Half Rule states that team athletes must train at the designated team location more than half of their training days per week, AND must train for more sessions at the team facility than at any other single location or combination of other locations. Therefore, for the duration of the CrossFit Games season, the More Than Half Rule requires:

At least four (4) training days must be completed at the team gym if the athlete trains six (6) or seven (7) days a week.

At least three (3) training days must be completed at the team gym if the athlete trains four (4) or five (5) days a week.

1.14 - T.E.R. - Tracking Weekly Workouts

The More than Half Rule is evaluated on a weekly basis to ensure athletes are training regularly and consistently at their team location. Athletes CANNOT take the sum of all of their workouts for the entire season and then demonstrate that, over the course of the season and on average, they performed more than half of their training days at the team gym and more sessions at this location than anywhere else. Reasonable accommodations for temporary travel are permitted, but must be documented in the athlete’s training journal or log. (For more detailed instruction, see Section 1.15 - Team Eligibility Requirements - Documenting Workouts and Section 1.18 - Teams - CrossFit Games Early Declaration Form.)

1.15 - T.E.R. - Documenting Workouts

All athletes and teams require a method for documenting their workouts and their compliance with the More Than Half Rule. This is especially true if there is any reason to question whether a member of a team meets the requirements. For example, an athlete who lives a long distance from the team gym, an athlete who coaches at a gym other than the team gym or an athlete who has recently changed gyms, must keep detailed records tracking the dates, times and locations for all of their workouts. CrossFit Inc. may, at any time during the CrossFit Games season, require an athlete to produce this documentation proving they have indeed met the team requirements. If the athlete cannot prove they meet all requirements as required by CrossFit Inc., the team and individual athlete may be subject to disqualification. All athletes shall provide the following documentation:

  • Training Log - All athletes must keep a detailed record of their workouts in a training log.
  • Photos - The athlete’s training log must be accompanied by supporting photographic evidence. An athlete must take date- and time-stamped photos or “selfies," including an identifying feature of the gym, for every training session. These photos are to be stored in a dedicated email or document folder to be retrieved as necessary. 
  • Social Media -  Date- and time-stamped photos may alternatively be posted on a dedicated social-media page (eg: Facebook, Instagram) as a chronological record of workouts.

Any athlete requiring assistance with documenting workouts should email support@crossfitgames.com PRIOR to the start of the season.

You can find an example of a training log in the FAQ "Team Documentation" section here.