CrossFit, Inc. today announced five newly sanctioned fitness competitions, spanning continents from Australia to Europe to Asia. Each event will qualify athletes to the 2019 or 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
Starting in 2019, the Australian CrossFit Championship, Asia CrossFit Championship, Reykjavík CrossFit Championship, Down Under CrossFit Championship, and Pandaland CrossFit Challenge will expand the competitive opportunities available to CrossFit athletes across the globe.
“These new events are a true testament to CrossFit’s global reach,” said CrossFit Founder Greg Glassman. “Whether athletes are competing in Wollongong, Reykjavík, or Shanghai, they represent the spirit of the CrossFit community—a community that today crosses more borders and contains more languages and cultures than we could have ever imagined at the start.”
Australian CrossFit Championship
In January 2019, athletes in Queensland, Australia, will ring in the new year by throwing down at the Australian CrossFit Championship. The competition will begin with an online qualifier to select 32 women and men, along with 16 teams, who will receive invitations to compete at the Gold Coast Convention and Entertainment Centre for a ticket to compete at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
“We are looking forward to the community coming together to celebrate the CrossFit lifestyle while watching some of the best do what they do so well in the arena,” said Championship director Darren Coughlan.
Asia CrossFit Championship
China will host its first CrossFit Games-qualifying competition in April 2019 with the 全力游戏 Asia CrossFit Championship. As the largest international CrossFit competition on the Chinese Mainland—previously known as the 全力游戏 China Invitational—the newly sanctioned event builds on the momentum of CrossFit’s rapid rise in the People’s Republic and will qualify its top male, female and team athletes to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
“With event programming from CrossFit Games athletes Austin Malleolo, Spencer Hendel and James Hobart, the 全力游戏 Championship is not one to miss,” said Max Ma, owner of One Nation Huaihai and owner and director of the Asia CrossFit Championship.
Reykjavík CrossFit Championship
In May 2019, competitors will battle for spots to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games in the Land of Ice and Fire.
“Physical strength has always been fundamental to survival in Iceland, a land of rough and unforgiving natural conditions,” said Reykjavík CrossFit Championship Director Annie Thorisdottir. “Building on the tradition of Icelandic strongmen and women, the competition will be varied and exciting.”
In addition to the elite division of competition, which will award invitations to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games to the winners of the men’s, women’s, and team divisions, the Reykjavík Championship will have an Rx’d division for the local Icelandic CrossFit community.
Down Under CrossFit Championship
Wollongong, Australia—previous host city to six CrossFit Games Regionals—will welcome back CrossFit competitors in May of 2019 as they vie for qualifying spots to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
“The Down Under CrossFit Championship is proud to announce that we will be going back to the Gong where the CrossFit Community has flourished,” said Championship director Mick Shaw. “This year, the Down Under CrossFit Championship will incorporate some of the scenic settings of Wollongong into the events to create a diverse and challenging event.”
The competition will take place over three days in the iconic Australian seaside city.
Pandaland CrossFit Challenge
In December 2019, CrossFit athletes will take the competition floor at the Pandaland CrossFit Challenge, aptly held in the Sichuan Province, home of China’s legendary giant pandas. The city of Chengdu is eager to welcome CrossFit competitors of all nationalities to the second Chinese CrossFit-sanctioned event, qualifying the top man, woman and team athletes to the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games.
“We are ready to share our love of history, culture and sport, and celebrate the growth of the Chinese CrossFit community with the rest of the world,” said CrossFit Tianfu owner and Pandaland CrossFit Challenge director Zhu Chen.
CrossFit, Inc. will continue to announce additional sanctioned events in the coming weeks. All changes to the CrossFit Games season will be codified and published in the official CrossFit Games rulebook prior to the 2019 Open.
Registration for the 2019 CrossFit Games Open begins Jan. 10, 2019.
To learn more about CrossFit, visit www.crossfit.com.