The changes to the CrossFit Games season along with a change in direction of CrossFit HQ’s media involvement may be impacting participation in this year’s CrossFit Open. At the time of the Open announcement last night, just over 280,000 athletes from around the world had registered to compete this year. Last year, almost 500,000 CrossFitters paid $20 to compete against their fellow affiliate members, friends and the best in the world.
The good news is that there is still time to register for the Open. Athletes have until Monday night at 5pm Pacific to sign up and enter their scores. In the past a large percentage of athletes wait to complete 19.1 before officially signing up and entering their scores. With CrossFit affiliates around the world hosting ‘Friday Night Lights’ events, we expect to see that number climb over the weekend.
If registrations do not come in, it would be the first time in the Open’s history that participation has declined year over year. Back in 2011 just 26,000 people threw down in the five-week online competition. The Open has grown from there as the sport of CrossFit has spread outside of the United States and into many countries worldwide. Today, there are over 15,000 CrossFit affiliates around the world in at least 162 countries.
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