It’s no secret that a lot is about to change in the CrossFit community. As the intentions of Greg Glassman have become apparently clear, the opportunity to compete at the CrossFit Games will be open to many more individuals and teams all across the globe. 

So far, 16 sanctioned events have been announced that will take place in different locations around the world. 

As of right now, the current 2019 CrossFit sanctioned events include:

1. Dubai Championships — December 2018
2. Wodapalooza — January 2019
3. Australian CrossFit Championship — January 2019
4. CrossFit Fittest in Capetown — February 2019
5. CrossFit Strength in Depth — February 2019
6. CrossFit French Throwdown — April 2019
7. Asian CrossFit Championships — April 2019
8. Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge — April 2019
9. The CrossFit Italian Showdown — April 2019
10. Brazil CrossFit Championship — May 2019
11. The CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown — May 2019
12. Reykjavik CrossFit Championship — May 2019
13. Down Under CrossFit Championship v May 2019
14. Rogue Invitational — May 2019
15. Granite Games — June 2019

The first of the 16 sanctioned events for the CrossFit season is the Dubai Championships taking place next month in December.

The Dubai CrossFit Championship will be held December 12-15 of this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The first sanctioned CrossFit event will take place over the course of three days. 

The first event will be the kickoff of CrossFit’s new chapter. Glassman has hopes of refocusing CrossFit on its foundational mission of helping prevent and reverse chronic disease while expanding the opportunity to qualify for the CrossFit Games to more individuals around the world. 

The Dubai Championship, along with the rest of the sanctioned events, will be replacing the CrossFit Regional events and will become the new way of entry to the Games. 

There were three qualifiers to be able to compete in the Dubai Championships took place online back in October. 

The first qualifier included two parts:

Part A (with a 10-minute time cap)

• 60 double unders
• 10 thrusters (110/80lb)
• 60 double unders
• 20 thrusters
• 60 double unders
• 30 thrusters

Part B: 5 rounds for time

• 30 double unders
• 15 chest-to-bar pull ups

The second qualifying workout included 2 parts as well. 

Part A (4 rounds for time)

• 8m front rack lunges
• 8 bar facing burpees
• 8m front rack lunges
• 8 bar facing burpees
• 8 bar muscle ups

Part B (use the remaining time after the 4 rounds to find a max weight on the follow complex)

• 1 hang clean + 2 front squats (unbroken reps)

The third workout was a 20 min AMRAP ascending ladder:

• 9 calorie row
• 9 double KB snatch
• 15 calorie row
• 15 double KB snatch
• 21 calorie row
• 21 double KB snatch
• 27 calorie row
• 27 double KB snatch
• 33 calorie row
• 33 double KB snatch
• 39 calorie row
• 39 double KB snatch
• 45 calorie row
• 45 double KB snatch

The top male and female athletes, as well as top teams, at the Dubai Championships, will earn their invites to compete at the 2019 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.

Dubai has been hosting the Dubai Championships since 2012 and it has grown exponentially ever since. Besides the actual CrossFit Games, the Dubai Championships has become one of the most elite fitness competitions with the winners taking home around $50,000. The prizes for this year's competition are bigger than ever:

The online qualifier cash prize payout is $83,000

Payout per workout during the finals is $165,000

Finals cash prize is $368,000

Cash prizes in total come to $616,000

Many of the top CrossFit athletes we know and love today have competed at this event in the past including Mat Fraser, Sara Sigmundsdottir, Annie Thorisdottir, and Bjorgvin Gudmundsson. Now, with invites to the CrossFit Games on the line, the competition will be more competitive than ever.

Steph is a writer, content/recipe developer and weightlifter with a passion for health and wellness. She is the founder of The Athlete’s Kitchen, a website dedicated to providing its audience with articles, recipes, and the latest nutritional information on their favorite foods. Find her on Instagram @steph.lodge and @theathleteskitchencom or at http://www.theathleteskitchen.com.