The 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games season is approaching fast, and this year, we’re keeping the best aspects of past seasons while evolving to make participation more accessible and enjoyable.
While the season structure will stay the same as last year for individual and team athletes, this year will see some exciting new changes for CrossFit athletes in the adaptive and age group divisions.
As you plan for the season ahead, check out the 2022 Rulebook and Drug Testing Program. (Adaptive Athlete Policy coming soon — Stay tuned!)
We know the Rulebook and Drug Testing Program are riveting reading materials you’ll want to comb through in their entirety, but we’ve highlighted a few key points below to get you started.
Read on for a breakdown of the latest changes to the CrossFit Games season.
The 2022 Open: It All Starts Here
Athletes in all divisions will start the 2022 season with the three-week Open, a worldwide celebration of our fitness community, a gut check for those who want to track their fitness progress, and the first step toward qualification for the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games and other events in the season such as the Occupational Games.
Registration for the Open begins Jan. 13, and the first workout will be released at 12 p.m. (noon) PT on Thursday, Feb. 24.
Sign up for reminders and we’ll let you know when it’s time to register or tune in.
What’s New This Season
This year, the competition season for the age group and adaptive divisions has been modified to more closely mirror the stages of the individual competition, including the addition of a Semifinal stage for all athletes hoping to reach the CrossFit Games. Here are the details on the competition tracks and schedules for all divisions.
New in the Open
You will have three options when submitting scores for your Open workouts, including the new option of performing your workout with a registered judge:
Complete the workout at a CrossFit affiliate — This is the path most CrossFit athletes take during the Open, and it’s definitely the most fun. If you go this route, your affiliate manager will validate your scores for you, and you’re good to go.
Gym etiquette tip: If you plan to drop into a gym during the Open, we highly recommend you reach out to the gym’s owner or coaches ahead of time. You can find a gym near you here, and contact information often can be found on the gym’s website.
Submit a video of your performance — If you can’t make it into an affiliate, this is a great option. When you submit your Open score, you’ll also be asked to share a link to your video.
Additionally, all athletes who are hoping to advance to the next stage of competition are encouraged to take videos of their workouts in case they are asked to supply them.
NEW: Perform your workout with a registered judge — This is another great option if you’re not able to complete your workouts at an affiliate. A registered judge is someone who has completed the 2022 Online Judges Course.
Also, if you’d like to get more involved in the Open or other stages of CrossFit Games competition, becoming a registered judge can be a smart place to start.
We’ve also made updates to how and when scores appear on the CrossFit Games Leaderboard during the Open. We learned through feedback from last season that many athletes would like to see their scores post sooner rather than waiting for affiliate managers to validate their scores.
We get it, so this season, scores submitted during the Open will be immediately visible on the worldwide leaderboard. This is particularly important for athletes completing their workouts at an affiliate; your score will be visible before your affiliate manager has completed the final validation.
After the affiliate manager score validation deadline (Wednesdays at 5 p.m. PT), any unvalidated scores will be removed from the leaderboard.
New Stages of Competition
We’ve modified the path to the Games for age group and adaptive athletes, so those athletes will have the opportunity to compete in a global Semifinal, rather than qualifying through division-specific events.
For age group athletes, the new online Age Group Semifinals will determine who will compete at the final stage of the season in Madison. The top 10 percent of athletes from each age group in the Open will advance to the online Quarterfinals. From there, the top 30 athletes from each age group will be invited to compete in a Semifinal. Finally, the top 10 men and 10 women in each age group will advance to the Games, where their fittest will be crowned.
For adaptive athletes, after the Open, the top 20 athletes from each adaptive division will be invited to compete at an additional online competition that will serve as the Semifinal for three divisions and the final competition for five other divisions. The Vision, Intellectual, Seated With Hip Function, Seated Without Hip Function, and Short Stature divisions will compete in this stage to be crowned fittest. The Neuromuscular, Lower Extremity, and Upper Extremity divisions will send their top five athletes to compete in the finals in Madison.
There may be athletes who qualify for Quarterfinals or Semifinals in multiple divisions. Athletes can compete in any/all Quarterfinals they qualify for. That is, qualifying athletes can compete in the Individual, Team, and Age Group Quarterfinals if they’d like. However, at the Semifinals stage, athletes must choose a single Semifinal division in which to compete.
New Team Names
With the refocus of the team competition on the Affiliate Cup model, we’re changing the way team names are formatted, so we can make sure each team’s home gym is recognized and celebrated.
This year, team names will list the team’s affiliate first and then any descriptor or custom name. For example: CrossFit ABC: Heavy Hitters.
Make 2022 Work for You
Maybe your fitness took a hit during the pandemic, and you want to turn it around. Maybe you just want to be surrounded by other positive people who share your goals or fighting spirit. Maybe you want to show everyone what you’ve got at the CrossFit Games.
Whatever your reason, we hope you’ll join us for more fun and fitness in 2022.
And we hope these highlights have given you a nice window into the season ahead. Again, here are a few places you can go if you want to dig deeper:
It all starts Feb. 24 with the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open. Registration begins Jan. 13. Sign up for reminders.