CrossFit Introduce New Updates For The 2022 Open

The CrossFit season gets underway with The Open on 24 February 2022, with athletes across the globe competing virtually.

As usual, a new workout will be released each Thursday for three weeks, with athletes submitting their results over the weekend.

This year, CrossFit have announced a few changes to the way The Open will be run. These will impact athletes at the elite and the grass-routes end of the competition.

Here’s a look at what’s new for 2022.

Instant Score Updates

Perhaps the most exciting update is that as soon as you submit your score this year, it will go live on the worldwide leaderboard immediately. That means you don’t have to wait for an affiliate manager to validate the score.

This should allow athletes to get a more accurate impression of how their score is measuring up on the leaderboard straight after they complete their workout.

Increased Affiliate Visibility

With the team division competing for the Affiliate Cup, the way team names are displayed on the leaderboard is being changed. Now every team will have the name of the affiliate they are linked to listed in front of their name.

This will give increased exposure and visibility to CrossFit gyms, particularly those that do well in the rankings.

A New Way To Submit Your Scores

There are now three ways to submit your score after completing your workout.

You can complete the workout at an Affiliate and have the affiliate manager validate your score. Record your workout and upload a video submission along with your score. Or you can use the new way and Complete your workout under the direct, in-person observation of a registered judge.

The reason for the new method is so competitors will still be able to submit scores even if they are unable to access an affiliated gym. This reduces the chance of competitors being unable to compete due to a gym being closed for Covid restrictions. It also means athletes can compete from a home gym if they choose.

Why The Open Matters

The Open is not only a chance for all athletes to compete and see how they measure up against the rest of the world, but it’s a crucial opportunity to qualify for the pinnacle of the sport - the CrossFit Games.

Qualifying will follow a similar process to last year. The top 10% from each continent will advance into the Quarter Finals.

Athletes then progress to the Semi Finals, where they will either win a place straight into the Games or earn a chance to compete in a Last Chance Qualifier. The top 40 athletes will then compete at the Games.