CrossFit announced the 10 events that will hold Semifinals for the 2021 season last night.
Semifinals are part of the brand new CrossFit Games season design, which starts with the Open and is directly followed by the Quarterfinals. From there, top athletes in each recognised continent advance to the in-person Semifinals and ultimately the best compete at the CrossFit Games.
CrossFit Semifinals will take place over four consecutive weekends in May and June, and will have a similar feel to Regionals, with the exception that each event is independently run.
“Semifinals are Regionals and Sanctionals kind of combined, taking the best of both worlds and bringing them together,” said Dave Castro, CrossFit’s General Manager of Sport, in an interview explaining the later stages of the new CrossFit Games qualifying format.
Each Semifinal event will host 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams, with all six recognised continents hosting at least one Semifinal event and sending at least one man, one woman, and one team from that continent to the CrossFit Games.
CROSSFIT SEMIFINALS EVENTS 2021
Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
CrossFit Semifinal events in North America
There will be four CrossFit Games qualifying events in North America for the top 120 men, 120 women, and 80 teams on the continent. They are:
- CrossFit Atlas Games
- Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge
- Granite Games
- CrossFit West Coast Classic
The top five men, top five women, and top five teams will advance to the Games from each Semifinal, for a total of 20 men, 20 women and 20 teams from North America at the 2021 CrossFit Games.
CrossFit Semifinal events in Europe
There will be two CrossFit Games qualifying events in Europe for the top 60 men, 60 women and 40 teams on the continent. They are:
- CrossFit German Throwdown
- CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown
The top five men, top five women, and top five teams will advance to the Games from each Semifinal, for a total of 10 men, 10 women and 10 teams from Europe at the Games.
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CrossFit Semifinal events in Oceania
There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Oceania for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:
- Torian Pro
The top three men, top three women, and top three teams from Oceania will advance to the Games.
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CrossFit Semifinal events in Asia
There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Asia for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:
- CrossFit Asia Invitational
The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from Asia will advance to the Games.
CrossFit Semifinal events in South America
There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in South America for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:
- Brazil CrossFit Championship
The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from South America will advance to the Games.
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CrossFit Semifinal events in Africa
There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Africa for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:
- CrossFit Fittest in Cape Town
The top man, top woman, and top team from Africa will advance to the Games.
Semifinals are the new Regionals!
https://t.co/zlOinVBuZf— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) February 18, 2021
The number of Semifinals and qualifying spots for each event were based on historic Open participation data for each continent.
“The deeper the field goes and the more participants you have in any given continent or area, the more opportunities for events and the more opportunities for sports at the Games you have,” explained Castro.
Representation was a priority when establishing the continental boundaries and rules for the Semifinals.
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CrossFit will determine who qualifies to the Semifinals based on athletes’ performance in the Quarterfinals. Each Semifinal event will be able to design its own programming and scoring system with the guidance of CrossFit.
From CrossFit: Semifinals and COVID-19
CrossFit recognizes regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic vary by location. CrossFit is regularly monitoring the changing circumstances and working closely with the Semifinal event organizers as we approach the competition season.
If a live, in-person Semifinal is cancelled or cannot be held, the competition will move to an online format hosted by CrossFit, LLC. All athletes and teams from the respective Semifinal competition will compete in the online format with an opportunity to advance to the CrossFit Games. The online Semifinal will take place on the same weekend as the original date of the in-person competition.
Image Sources
- CrossFit Games 2021 Semifinals map: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
- 2021-crossfit-semifinals: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.