Attention, CrossFit athletes! If you have your eyes set on Semifinals, your competitive region is very important. That region is determined during Open registration and is based primarily on citizenship.
Athletes outside of Canada and the United States will be placed in a competitive region based on their country of citizenship. U.S. and Canadian citizens will be further sorted by their residency. Affiliated athletes in the U.S. and Canada will establish their residency based on the physical address of the affiliate they attend. Unaffiliated athletes in the U.S. and Canada will establish their residency based on their home address.
Examples
Athlete 1 is a German citizen. Based on this, they will be placed in the European region.
Athlete 2 is a U.S. citizen and IS a member of a CrossFit affiliate. Based on this, they will be placed in either North America East or North America West. The next piece of information that will be considered is the location of their affiliate. For example, if the athlete’s affiliate is in California, they will be placed in the North America West region.
Athlete 3 is a Canadian citizen and is NOT a member of a CrossFit affiliate. Based on this, they will be placed in either North America East or North America West. The next piece of information that will be considered is their residency. For example, if the athlete lives in Ontario, they will be placed in the North America East region.
Unique Circumstances
It’s possible that certain individuals may find themselves in a unique circumstance that may not allow them to compete in the region established by the process described above. These athletes will have the option of petitioning for an exemption to change their competition region for the duration of the 2024 CrossFit Games season. Because the first two major stages of the CrossFit Games season occur online — the Open and Quarterfinals — competition exemptions are reserved for athletes who are likely to advance to Semifinals.
Note: Age-group athletes do not require an exemption for any reason. These athletes will be ranked worldwide within their age groups — not by region — and will be participating in a virtual Semifinals competition. Only athletes who might qualify for both the age group and individual divisions can petition for an exemption.
Individual athletes who are likely to advance to the live Semifinals and who meet any of the criteria below may petition for an exemption to have their competition region changed for the 2024 season:
- If you have been living in another country outside of your country of citizenship since or before Feb. 16, 2020.
- If there is political hardship that is likely to restrict travel to or from your expected Semifinal.
- If you have an immigration or visa status that is likely to restrict travel to or from your expected Semifinal.
If any of the above criteria applies to you, consider applying for an exemption by completing this exemption application form. Exemptions must be filed no later than Feb. 1, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT. Requests submitted after the deadline will NOT be considered. Once the CrossFit Games team has reviewed the pool of athletes requesting exemptions, rulings on exemptions will be communicated by Feb. 28, 2024.
Photo by Ruby Wolff
Decision Time
If you are granted an exemption to be placed in a new competition region, you will then have the opportunity to either accept or decline. There are some important things to consider when making your final decision:
First, your ranking will no longer contribute to your original competitive region, which may affect the overall strength of the field in that region. In turn, that could make a difference in the number of additional Games-qualifying spots awarded to that region.
Second, once your new competition region is established, you will be referred to as an athlete from that region during the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals. For example: An athlete from South America is granted an exemption to have their new region be assigned as North America East. If they choose to accept that relocation, the flag that will be displayed next to that athlete's name during the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals will be the American flag, and not the flag that recognizes their citizenship. If that athlete advances to the Games, the flag displayed will be of the athlete’s choosing.
Finally, there is no going back or changing your mind. Once a new competitive region for an athlete has been established, that athlete will remain in that region for the duration of the 2024 CrossFit Games season. This exception review and assignment process will happen before the Open starts. The athlete will have the opportunity to accept or decline their offer of the new region, but once that decision is made, it is final.
For more information on region eligibility and exemption, check out the 2024 CrossFit Games Rulebook, specifically, sections 1.08-1.09. If you have any questions about competitive regions and applying for exemptions, please contact support@crossfitgames.com.
Cover photo by @achievedmedia