It was already known that 2023 would have been the last year of the Games in Madison (WI) and much speculation has arisen about the new headquarters. Some even speculated that it could be somewhere in Europe (Birmingham was the most popular!).
However, in a recent press release, CrossFit® announced that the next Games will take place in Texas, at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth from 8 to 11 August 2024.
Index
Here are the words of Don Faul
“Fort Worth is a proven, easily accessible destination for high-end events; We're excited to add to the growing number of sports and entertainment options at the state-of-the-art Dickies Arena.
The 2024 Games will be hosted at the facility, offering fans, athletes, partners and the incredibly strong community of Texas affiliates new opportunities to experience the event of a lifetime. The love of sports is in the DNA of most Texans, and we can't imagine a more enthusiastic audience for the Games.”
The new home of the 2024 CrossFit ® Games
Fort Worth will be there fourth venue to host the CrossFit® Games: the first was the Ranch in Aromas, California, which was home to the Games from 2007 to 2009, followed by Carson, California, from 2010 to 2016.
Then, in 2017, the Games moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where they continued until last year (with the exception of 2020 in Aromas).
“Having a new look and a new home in a new city will allow us to continue to grow and that is what is needed for the future of our sport,” said Dave Castro.
What to expect
La Dickies Arena is certainly a cutting-edge center for sports and concerts. It was built in 2019 and the first event was a concert by Twenty One Pilots in November of the same year.
Over the years, Dickies Arena has hosted numerous events, including the 2022 and 2023 Professional Bull Riders World Finals, a live Monster Truck show, the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, the Premier and Round Two of the 2022 NCAA Division I. Men's Basketball Tournament and more.
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The Dickies Arena, in a few figures:
- 14.000 seats for spectators, compared to 10.321 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison
- 3 levels of standard seating (piazza, suite and gallery) and floor seating.
- There is an adjoining exhibition room with a surface area of approximately 1 m9104.
- Nearby there is 1 outdoor space, which can accommodate approximately 2.000 people.
- Dickies Arena is located near the Will Rogers Memorial Center. It is a 5.652-seat complex.
If the meet ever features swimming events, the best location appears to be the TCU campus, located just a few miles south of Dickies Arena.
What the athletes will have to prepare, however, it's hot. Texas is known for its high temperatures and with the Games scheduled for August next year, many fear that some athletes could suffer from heatstroke.
If you recall, in 2015, two-time CrossFit® Games champion Annie Thorisdottir had to withdraw due to heat stroke. Last year, Hanna Hardy of the TTT CrossFit® Black team also suffered heatstroke during her 5K run.
For AccuWeather, this year, in the month of August, Fort Worth recorded temperatures as high as 109⁰F (43⁰C) in 4 days. Fort Worth's average temperature this month was 107⁰F (42⁰C).
During the evening, the city cools down and temperatures drop to 71,6⁰F (22⁰C). The average August minimum temperature in Fort Worth this year was 78,8⁰F (26⁰C).
More words from the press release
The press release also suggests that the Games could even leave the USA in the future:
Dickies Arena will provide CrossFit® with new opportunities to present the world championship to fans in attendance with three standard levels of seating, including additional hospitality and elevated viewing experiences in the four-year building suite and loge box level. The nearly 30.000-square-foot event floor, depending on configuration, will offer approximately 10.000 seats once the floor is completed. […]
The move to Fort Worth is the first step in the direction we want to take the CrossFit® Games,” said Castro. “Just as we expect our athletes to adapt during competition, we will need to do the same as we rethink our execution, so we can bring the Games not only to more cities across the United States, but also consider expanding across the board. 'abroad."
Apparently this is iThe first of a series of announcements to come... who knows what other surprises the future holds for us! Do you have any predictions?