Meeting Notes

May 26, 2026

Safety Advisory Board Members – Attendees: Allison Brager, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, Mark Ritchie, Tia-Clair Toomey

CrossFit HQ – Attendees: Adrian Bozman, Marshall Brenner, Dave Castro, Bruce Edwards, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker

KEY TAKEWAYS:

• Bruce Edwards introduced to the Safety Advisory Board.
• Safety guideline draft review and discussion.
• Preparticipation evaluation update: approximately 30% of both individual and team athletes who have qualified for the Games have also been medically eligible.
• Semifinal 

April 28, 2026

Safety Advisory Board Members – Attendees:  Manny Cruz, Mike Emery, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, Mark Ritchie, Tia-Clair Toomey 

CrossFit HQ – Attendees: Dave Castro, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Bruce Edwards named new CrossFit CEO, bringing extensive company history and operational leadership experience.
• Tia-Clair Toomey welcomed as new Safety Advisory Board member, replacing Rich Froning.
• CrossFit HQ is providing support to Semifinals events this season through pre-event planning, best-practices guidance, and on-site staff presence at each event. 
• CrossFit HQ is strengthening its governance and feedback systems by increasing structure and accountability within the CrossFit Athlete Council.
• Preparticipation evaluations: 20 athletes confirmed medically eligible with additional submissions under review.
• Volunteer registration has surpassed 1,000 applicants, meeting anticipated staffing needs while providing strong backfill capacity.
• Movement modification and programming discussions focused on 55+ age groups, with emphasis on safety while maintaining the integrity of competition.
• The Medical Working Group is now meeting monthly and continues to review medical protocols, volunteer qualification standards, and data collection capabilities.
• CrossFit HQ is piloting BlackOhm wearable technology at the Magic City Games to evaluate real-time athlete and asset tracking capabilities in a sporting event environment. 
• CrossFit HQ continues to expand pre-Games preparation efforts, including enhanced medical and security coordination with event operations, additional medical team leadership roles, and virtual medical and security team meetings conducted prior to on-site operations.

February 18, 2026

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, Manny Cruz, Mark Emery, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, Mark Ritchie
• CrossFit HQ: Marshall Brenner, Adrian Bozman, Dave Castro, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker; Guest – Mark Sakr

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• 2026 Open registration is substantially up from last year, with strong community momentum building toward 26.1 announcement next week.
• Dr. Michael Emery welcomed as a new Safety Advisory Board member.
• Dr. Mark Sakr has officially onboarded as the Games Medical Director. He has already engaged in planning for the 2026 CrossFit Games, and has met with the Medical Working Group and CrossFit Athlete Council.
• Preparticipation evaluations: four early submissions received.
• Medical Working Group: Priorities for 2026 include assessing the implementation of the preparticipation evaluation process, evaluating the medical team composition, exploring injury prevention data and associated research, and assessing the viability of publishing peer-reviewed guidelines for functional fitness programming.
• Dr. Michael Emery presented on atrial flutter and the athlete.
• Semifinals and Divisional Event support is ongoing, with continued collaboration alongside event organizers to strengthen the overall ecosystem of licensed events.

November 19, 2025

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, Manny Cruz, Mark Emery, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, Mark Ritchie
• CrossFit HQ: Marshall Brenner, Adrian Bozman, Dave Castro, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker; Guest – Mark Sakr

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Overview of the 2026 CrossFit Games season.
• SAP onsite planning visit completed, including participation from Safety Advisory Board member Dr. Rob Oh.
• Games Medical Director position announcement published on LinkedIn
• Games Security leadership planning is underway.
• Partnership discussions ongoing for a physical therapy provider and potential medical equipment partner.
• Launch of the medical eligibility requirement launch rescheduled to December 10 to align with release of the 2026 Rulebook. Rollout will include direct athlete communication, required forms, FAQs, and a supporting article.
• Upcoming deliverables include the 2026 Safety Enhancement article, Water Safety Subcommittee recommendations, licensed event safety considerations, and volunteer registration portal launch.

August 26, 2025

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, PhD, Manny Cruz, Caity Henniger,, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, MD, Mark Ritchie, Ph.D
• CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro,  Don Faul, Wendy Guthrie, Lindsey Crocker 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Michael Cohen rolled off the Safety Advisory Board; discussions underway regarding potential new membership.
• Review and discussion of key highlights from the 2025 CrossFit Games.
• The group completed an After Action Review of the 2025 CrossFit Games.
• Post-Games priorities identified, including assessment of medical team composition, implementation of a preparticipation evaluation requirement for 2026, continued development of safety considerations guidance for licensed events, and creation of a safety-focused article series.

July 14, 2025

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members:Allison Brager, PhD, Manuel Cruz, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, MD, Mark Ritchie, Ph.D., 
• CrossFit HQ: Adrian Bozman, Dave Castro, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Dr. Rob Oh selected as Chair of the Safety Advisory Board.
• Competition season updates reviewed.
• Discussion of Safety Advisory Board onsite role and responsibilities for the  2025 CrossFit Games.
• CrossFit Games risk mitigation planning reviewed, including the Safety & Security vertical organizational structure, Emergency Action Plan, Event 1 considerations, and Athlete Handbook content.

June 18, 2025 

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, PhD, Manny Cruz, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, MD, Mark Ritchie, Ph.D.
• CrossFit HQ: Adrian Bozman, Dave Castro, Don Faul, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, John McLaughlin, Mike Ray, Lindsey Crocker 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• 2025 CrossFit Games season updates reviewed, including the Schedule of Events and fan activations for the 2025 CrossFit Games.
• Discussion of offsite venue operations, risk management strategies, and event planning considerations. 
• Four representatives of the Safety Advisory Board (Manny Cruz, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Dr. Rob Oh) to be integrated into programming review processes, with escalation pathways established for concerns warranting full Safety Advisory Board review. 
• Discussion regarding Safety Advisory Board role and responsibilities for the CrossFit Games. 
• Preparticipation evaluation requirement for the 2025 CrossFit Games discussed.

May 21, 2025

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, PhD, Manny Cruz, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, MD, Mark Ritchie, Ph.D.
• CrossFit HQ: Adrian Bozman, Marshall Brenner, Dave Castro, Don Faul, Wendy Guthrie, Lindsey Crocker

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• 2025 competition season updates reviewed.
• Discussion of incident reports from licensed events.
• Discussion regarding considerations and recommendations for implementation of a preparticipation evaluation requirement. 

April 29, 2025 

ATTENDEES:

• Safety Advisory Board Members: Allison Brager, PhD, Mike Cohen, Manny Cruz, Caity Henniger, Brian McGuire, Robert Oh, MD, Mark Ritchie, Ph.D. 
• CrossFit HQ: Adrian Bozman, Dave Castro, Don Faul, Wendy Guthrie, Heather Lawrence, Lindsey Crocker

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Competition season updates reviewed.
• Discussion of pre-Games safety priorities and current status updates.
• Water Safety Subcommittee progress update and discussion of ongoing considerations.
• Planning discussion regarding Safety Advisory Board arrival logistics, accommodations, and onsite testing representation for the 2025 CrossFit Games.

March 4, 2025

ATTENDEES: Did not record.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The 2025 CrossFit competition season officially launched with 25.1 at CrossFit Mayhem.
• Review of Safety Considerations document.
• Discussion of Emergency Action Plan (EAP) historical context and current-state.
• Discussed medical incident reporting, decontamination procedures, and event rehearsal planning.