Connect Sports recently sat down with Justin Bergh, general manager of the CrossFit Games, to discuss the sport’s growth and why CrossFit put out an RFP for next year’s CrossFit Games.
Most of the discussion centered around things that the CrossFit community is already very familiar with…the CrossFit Games are different from other sports. The Games feature numerous elements and are virtually unknown to the competitors (and fans) prior to the competition. This requires a very high level of coordination among CrossFit staff, volunteers and athletes.
The interview continues with its ESPN coverage and the incorporation of CrossFit affilitates into the CrossFit Games.
One interesting question, however, centers around the location of the 2017 CrossFit Games. So far, it has only been speculation that the 2017 Games would not be in Carson, California, at the StubHub Center. Many in California were holding out hope that the RFP process was an attempt to get the StubHub Center to pony up and offer more. That looks like it is not the case and that the 2017 Games will be somewhere else.
Matt Swenson, the interviewer, asks Bergh, “Why are you leaving StubHub Center?” Bergh responds with, “I can’t speak highly enough about the facility and staff at the StubHub Center. They’ve been fantastic partners who stood shoulder to shoulder with us to help grow the games. But as we look forward, we want to take the competition and the community event to new heights. We’re looking for cities that can offer great competition venues, including natural features, and that will really embrace CrossFit athletes and participants from around the world. We’ve received some great bids, and we’re visiting cities now.”
So stay tuned as the big announcement will likely be coming some time soon.
