What the Latest CrossFit Athlete Council Notes Tell Us About the 2026 Season
The CrossFit Athlete Council regularly meets with CrossFit HQ, and their meeting notes are shared periodically afterward to inform athletes, coaches, affiliate owners, and the public about discussions, updates, and announcements.
- In the last two meetings between the Athlete Council and CrossFit staff, the 2026 season was outlined, and council members shared their input on behalf of their athlete and affiliate communities.
More information, including the current members of the CrossFit Athlete Council, can be found here, and meeting notes from their meetings over the last eleven months are available here.
Key Takeaways:
- The CrossFit Athlete Council has held 12 meetings since January and promotes transparency by publicly sharing meeting notes, including attendees and discussion topics.
- A “Medical Eligibility Screening Requirement” will be introduced for the 2026 season.
- According to Heather Lawrence, CrossFit’s Senior Director of Sport Operations, “Strict geo-fencing will not be allowed. Teams and individuals may compete in Semifinals outside their region.”
- In 2026, affiliate owners will be able to purchase Open registrations in bulk for their members.
Remind me: The CrossFit Athlete Council was established following the tragic death of Lazar Ðukić at the 2024 CrossFit Games, as part of CrossFit’s Safety and Procedural Changes following the 2024 CrossFit Games.
At that time, CrossFit stated that part of its goal was to “establish a broader Athlete Council to ensure athletes from the CrossFit community can share feedback and have greater influence on CrossFit’s protocols for competition, safety, broader athlete welfare, and the business of sport.”
- The council currently has 18 members chosen by athletes, affiliate owners, and certified coaches. The members are divided into three committees.
- Seth Page, CF-L3, of Jumpship Training, is the most recent addition to the council.
- According to publicly available meeting notes, the council has held 12 meetings, discussing topics from the investigation into Lazar Ðukić’s death to, most recently, the structure of the 2026 season.
Medical Eligibility Requirement
Based on the meeting notes from the CAC/CrossFit HQ meeting held on November 4th, 2025, a medical eligibility screening requirement will be added for athletes to compete in 2026. The notes do not specify how this will work, which athletes it will apply to, or when it will be required.
In a previous CAC meeting held in late May, Wendy Guthrie, Head of Safety, and Brian McGuire from the Safety Advisory Board outlined their recommendations that align with this new requirement.
- The recommendation was to establish a self-reported Health History Form for 2025, followed by a complete “Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation” (PPE) in 2026.
- Guthrie emphasized that PPEs are standard in other competitive sports and asked the Safety Advisory Board for guidance in shaping a plan for the CrossFit Games.
- Submissions would be reviewed by a member of the Games Medical Staff, who may request additional information or require medical clearance from the athlete’s physician.
The PPE recommendation was not advanced before the 2025 CrossFit Games and on June 6, 2025, the CAC was sent an update on the decision regarding medical screening for the 2025 CrossFit Games. It read, in part:
- “Following our recent discussions on advancing athlete safety protocols, we’ve decided not to implement medical clearances for the 2025 CrossFit Games. While we all agree on the value of these measures, key concerns around HIPAA compliance, data privacy, and the tight timeline for execution made it clear we wouldn’t be able to deliver a responsible, athlete-centered process this year. We’re committed to revisiting this for 2026 with the necessary rigor.”
It now appears that the idea has been revisited, and the latest meeting notes state that “the Council supported the Safety Advisory Board’s recommendation to introduce a medical screening requirement for all Individual and Team athletes competing at the 2026 CrossFit Games. This new requirement aims to enhance athlete safety and align with common practices across elite sports.”
No More Geo-Fencing Semifinals
In a part of the meeting notes labeled “Team Qualification Structure,” a council member expressed concern about the regional balance in qualifications and opportunities for athletes and teams to qualify in person.
- Remind me: In the 2025 CrossFit Games season, regional restrictions or “geo-fencing” was used for the Africa/UAE region at Rebel Renegade Games, as well as for the North America In-Person Qualify Events, Syndicate Crown, and TFX Invitational, allowing only athletes in their geographic area to compete.
The meeting notes show that “Heather [Lawrence-Benedict, CrossFit’s Senior Director of Sport Operations] clarified that 2026 Semifinal allocations will vary by event, and unlike in 2025, the strict geo-fencing will not be allowed. Teams and individuals may compete in Semifinals outside their region and attempt to qualify through multiple events, including the online Semifinal–promoting broader access and competitive opportunity.”
This means that all the top 2,000 athletes from the Individual Quarterfinals will advance to the Semifinals and be able to compete in any (and multiple) in-person or online Semifinals.
- For Teams and Masters athletes, only some in-person Semifinal events will offer options for their divisions, but those will not be region-locked either.
Additional Insights
In addition to the items above, more info was laid out around the 2026 Open and season, including:
- Judges Course: Affiliate owners will receive a code for one free seasonal Judges Course, which can be transferred to a coach if already completed, supporting ongoing education and improving judging quality across the community.
- Open Registration Codes: Affiliates can purchase bulk Open registration codes to boost member participation. More details will be shared at the next meeting.
- Open Training Plans: Training plans for the Open are now available to help athletes prepare effectively.
- New Apparel Options: A women’s tank top and event patches will be introduced as new Open merchandise items.
Finally, under a section entitled “Council Self-Assessment” in the meeting notes, the CAC rated itself a 3.5 out of 5 on a scale of overall effectiveness.
