2019 is a special year for the Open Games , the qualifiers for the Games. Because? Because this year there will be two Opens , since we are in transition between the old and the new modality.
Do not panic!
Signing up for the Open Games is just as easy as other years. Only the final classification changes.
What are Open Games?
If you are new to the CrossFit universe, the Open Games are the starting signal for the CrossFit Games .
It is the first level of classification that every athlete must overcome to advance to the next phase. It is celebrated globally , at the same time, for both climbed and RX athletes. That doesn't change.
Until now, the top 200 from each region went on to compete in the Regionals and, from there, the top 20 went to the finals in Madison. Summarizing.
This year, things change since Greg Glassman decided to make a few changes in the way of qualifying for the Games, for two main factors:
- Regionals were very expensive.
- There are more and more athletes from new affiliated countries and this way of proceeding no longer made sense.
Therefore, goodbye to the Regionals and welcome to the sanctioned or official CrossFit competitions, as a qualifier for the elite.
CrossFit Inc. has chosen twenty high-level competitions from around the world to carry out a first selection of finalists for the 2019 Games.
That is, the individual winners, men and women, and the winning teams, go directly to Madison.
And everyone else, we have to participate in the Open to try to get to Madison .
What changes in the Open 2019?
First, this 2019 we will have two Open:
- In February-March , to qualify for the 2019 Games.
- In October , to qualify for the 2020 Games.
As we have mentioned, we are in a year of transition. Which means that starting in 2020, the Opens will always be held in October .
Another novelty, since the regions disappear, the classification changes.
The individual winners , men and women, from each country with a CrossFit-affiliated box go directly to the final.
It is estimated that there are currently 160 countries with affiliated pits .
Teams no longer compete in the Open , but only through official competitions.
Furthermore, to prevent elite athletes from being left out of the Games for not winning in their country or in a sanctioned competition, the 20 best athletes in the world championship will also go directly to the Games .
Finally, CrossFit Inc. has 4 special invitations up its sleeve in case any pro CrossFiter is left out.
And you will say, how much money goes to Madison, right?
Yes it's true. That is why a knockout phase is planned so that the Games can be held like every year.
As you already know, these changes allow new athletes from all over the world to gain a foothold in the CrossFit Games and prove that it is the fittest on Earth .
How to sign up for the Open 2019?
But let's get back to what interests us: sign up for the Open 2019 .
If this is the first time you are going to participate in this competition, this is what you need to know:
- You have to sign up online through this link: https://games.crossfit.com/cf/login?flow=games&returnTo=%2Fregister%2Fopen.
- Fill out your information and pay your registration online ($20).
- You have until February 21 , the start date of the Open to register. But if you are clear about it, do it now.
- The Open 2019 are held from February 21 to March 25 , that is, for 5 weeks in a row.
- The WODs are officially announced in live announcements , by Dave Castro himself, in the early hours of Thursday to Friday of each week.
- You have four days to complete the WOD , following the instructions and submit your marks online, before early Wednesday morning.
- You can do the Open WODs in your affiliated box, with an official judge (it can be your coach or a partner) or record yourself and upload the video to the Open platform so they can judge you and validate your results.
And that's it! These are the Open Games.
If you are a big CrossFit geek, you will surely do two things:
- Become an official judge . Here: https://oc.crossfit.com/course?id=21.
- Set an alarm for 2 in the morning to watch the Live Announcement live .
But don't get overwhelmed, because many pits hold the Opens on those weekends so that all the participants can do the WODs together. It is one of these moments of community that unites the members of a CrossFit box.
In addition to suffering in unison, you will be sure that you have all the official material, that you understand the WOD and that you are evaluated correctly.
Now that you know everything, start training and making yourself aware that for five weeks you are going to suffer a lot but with thousands of crossfitters like you.
Sign up for the Open 2019!
