The end of 2022 is just around the corner, so it’s coming fast. So, with a new year, a brand new season of CrossFit is on its way as well. However, the 2023 CrossFit Season will be subjected to many changes, as per the announcement of CrossFit HQ. The new rules were revealed on October 11, 2022, and they will affect every stage of the qualifying process for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
2023 CrossFit Season Changes
Competition Map
The first line of the new updates regards the Competition Map, as the athletes will compete in the regions based on their countries of citizenship. This will affect the North American continent the most, as it will now be divided into the East and West regions. The explanation for implementing this rule is as follows:
“This eliminates the need for a seeding process during Semifinals.”
Here is what the Competition Map will look like:
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Standardized Programming
Contrary to what the case was in the 2022 CrossFit Season, the CrossFit administration will now standardize and program all workouts for the entire 2023 Season. This means that the workouts at separate Quarterfinals/Semifinals will be identical.
Last-Chance Qualifier Removal
The Last-Chance Qualifier will no longer be an option for athletes to secure their spot at the CrossFit Games. Instead, a ranking system will be organized which will fill up the final few spots based on the “strength of the field” of every Semifinal.
Qualifying Process For The 2023 CrossFit Games
The qualifying process and quotas for the 2023 CrossFit season are as follows:
CrossFit Open To CrossFit Quarterfinals
- The CrossFit Open will take place over three weeks, starting Feb. 16, 2023.
- Top 10% of Individual and Age Group athletes from the CrossFit Open advance to the Quarterfinals
- Top 25% of Teams from the CrossFit Open advance to the Quarterfinals
CrossFit Quarterfinals To CrossFit Semifinals
- The top 60 Individual female athletes, the top 60 Individual male athletes, and the top 40 Teams will advance and compete at the North American East, North American West, and European Semifinals.
- The top 30 Individual female athletes, male athletes, and the top 20 Teams will be invited to compete at each of the Semifinals in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America.
- The top 40 Individual female athletes, male athletes, and Teams, as well as the top 10 athletes in each Age Group, will advance to the 2023 CrossFit Games.
CrossFit Semifinals To CrossFit Games
- Each Semifinal competition will receive a minimum designated number of Games-qualifying spots.
- The total number of athletes invited to the CrossFit Games will stay at 40, the same as last year.
The 2023 CrossFit Games will start on August 1st, 2023, and wrap up on August 6th, 2023. This will be an introduction to the brand-new six-day format.
Team Eligibility
The Teams division has been gaining in popularity for the past few years, so CrossFit wants to make it even better. However, the Team members will first have to compete in the 2023 CrossFit Open as Individuals. Following the Open, each Team will then be formed by selecting six athletes (four to compete, and two alternatives), who will move on to all the following stages of the season. Once the six athletes have been chosen, the roster cannot be changed until the end of the season.
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CrossFit is implementing these changes because they think that it will “increase the amount of people who see and participate in our sport”. They seem good on paper, especially the standardization of workouts, as there will be no room left for arguments about the difficulty of some competitions. February 16th will come around in no time, so these changes will get in action very soon.
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