Beginners at their very first experience, intermediate competitors and expert athletes play side by side on the same game floor: for thousands of fitness enthusiasts the Italian Showdown it’s much more than a race, it’s the celebration the CrossFit Community!

• NO QUALIFICATIONS: just register and take to the field live against your peers in 3 ability levels and 6 Age Groups.
• NO CUTS: you can give your all until the end without the risk of being eliminated for a test gone wrong.

You can participate in the 2026 edition as an Individual or in a Team of 2 athletes (Double). For Individuals, there are 3 divisions by ability level (Beginner, Intermediate, Rx) and 6 Age Groups up to 60+ years old based on year of birth. For Doubles, there are 2 divisions by ability level (Beginner, Intermediate) and 3 sub-divisions by gender (M-M, M-F, F-F).

Ability levels and Divisions The Italian Showdown is a competition open to all CrossFit enthusiasts of any age and ability level, with 3 divisions for different fitness levels: Beginner and Intermediate (Individuals / Doubles), Rx (Individuals only). Again for the 2026 edition, the requirements of the ability divisions no longer refer to an ideal “Regional Level” athlete, but are calibrated on the most common characteristics of those who attend the classes and on the standards of the CrossFit workouts of the day. Before registering, find the division that best suits your fitness level regardless of your age, so you can compete live in the division that’s right for you, allowing you to compete against your peers.

• Level 1: Beginner Division You have little or no competition experience but wish to compete to test yourself. You are not yet familiar with all the skills and usually perform scaled workouts.
• Level 2: Intermediate Division You already have some experience of competitions and wish to compete to overcome your limits. You are familiar with almost all skills and often perform Rx workouts.
• Level 3: Rx Division You already have competition experience and can compete against complete athletes. You are familiar with all the skills and always perform Rx workouts.

ATTENTION: for all the details about the required skills, please refer to the division description and to the official website, also make sure to read and understand the rulebook.

Individuals and Age Groups For the 2026 edition, there will be 6 Masters age ranges within each Individual ability division. During registration, each athlete is automatically assigned to an Age Group based on their year of birth:

• from 35 to 39 years
• from 40 to 44 years
• from 45 to 49 years
• from 50 to 54 years
• from 55 to 59 years
• from 60 years and over

IN PRACTICE: once you have selected the division best suited to your fitness level, you will automatically be assigned to an Age Group based on your date of birth. For example, if you turn 52 in 2026 and have determined that the 2nd fitness level is right for you, you will be ranked both in the overall leaderboard of the Intermediate division and in the leaderboard of the Age Group 50-54 Intermediate.

During the competition you will be placed in the heats according to the order by date of birth, in this way you will always take to the field alongside your peers for a more fair and fun direct comparison. So you can compare yourself not only with competitors in your own age range but also globally with all other athletes of the same ability level, following the same principle as the CrossFit Open leaderboard. The winners of each age range will be named “Age Group Champion” in a collective award ceremony dedicated to Masters.

Doubles and Sub-divisions For the 2026 edition, 2 ability divisions are available for Teams of 2: Double Beginner and Double Intermediate, which refer to the same ability levels of the Individuals. There are no age ranges for Doubles. In addition to the ability divisions, 3 sub-divisions are available for Doubles: a pair of athletes of the same gender (M-M, F-F) or a pair of athletes of different genders (M-F). This way, pairs can compare on the leaderboard in two ways: overall ranking by ability division or specific ranking by gender sub-division. The workouts are based on the “I go, You go” format: one partner performs the scheduled reps while the other rests, then the roles are reversed, alternating until the workout is completed.

Competition Schedule The competition will last 2 days for Beginner and Intermediate Individuals / Doubles and 3 days for Rx Individuals:

Individuals – Beginner and Intermediate

• 2 days: Friday and Saturday

Individuals – Rx

• 3 days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Doubles – Beginner and Intermediate

• 2 days: Saturday and Sunday

All athletes will perform all workouts without cuts, adhering to the heat schedule and movement standards indicated in the Workouts Schedule section of the official website. The final leaderboard will be based on scores from all workouts and the Overall Top-3 Individuals and Doubles in each ability and gender division will ascend the podium during the Awards Ceremony.

---