Ilya Makarov finished in 5th place at the Asia Semifinal. While only two spots were allocated to qualify for the CrossFit Games, three athletes ahead of Makarov failed their in-competition drug test at the Far East Throwdown. Following this, CrossFit backfilled Ivan Kukartsev’s spot with Makarov.
However, today Makarov shared that he was unable to obtain a visa to travel to the United States next month for his rookie debut at the CrossFit Games. Makarov, a Russian athlete, is not the only athlete to encounter visa issues this year.
Last month KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team, another Russian-based team, announced they would be unable to compete at the CrossFit Games after team member Andrei Fedotov was unable to secure his visa to travel to Ft. Worth.
But while it has proven difficult for Russian athletes to receive a visa to compete, athletes from other countries have also faced difficulties. Last year Iranian athlete Morteza Sedaghat qualified for the CrossFit Games but was unable to compete after having his visa application denied.
Even Sam Briggs nearly missed competing at the 2018 CrossFit Games after troubles getting a visa. She luckily received a visa at the last minute to compete.
With Makarov’s news, Arthur Semenov will be the only individual male athlete from the Asia region to compete at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
