CrossFit adds medical director, new athlete screening for 2026 Games

Does this materially change the risk profile at Semifinals and the Games? CrossFit’s 2026 answer was to move medical oversight closer to the competition floor, starting with Dr. Mark James Sakr as CrossFit Games Medical Director and a mandatory preparticipation medical evaluation for Individual and Team athletes.

That is a step up from last season’s setup. In 2025, CrossFit named Wendy Guthrie as Head of Safety, formed the Safety Advisory Board, helped build the Emergency Action Plan, and pushed medical planning around event conditions such as heat, humidity and expanded coverage. For 2026, the company went further by adding a dedicated Games medical director, bringing in more specialized screening, and making the Safety Advisory Board an active planning partner with an on-site presence at the Games.

Sakr is a dual-board-certified physician in family medicine and sports medicine. He serves as Director of Medical Services and Head Team Physician at the University of Arizona, and he also works as Medical Director for USA Rugby and contributes to the World Rugby Player Welfare Working Group. CrossFit also added Dr. Michael Scott Emery to the Safety Advisory Board. Emery is a cardiologist with more than 17 years of experience, including work at the Cleveland Clinic and advisory roles with the NFL Scouting Combine and NBA. He is also a CrossFit athlete himself and was set to complete his 12th CrossFit Open in 2026.

The new medical screening is the biggest competitive change. Every Individual and Team athlete at the 2026 CrossFit Games must complete a preparticipation medical evaluation, with a licensed physician confirming the athlete is medically eligible without restriction. CrossFit said the exam is intended to identify unreasonable risk of death or catastrophic injury and support individualized risk reduction. In its December explainer, the company compared the Games with pro sports environments that commonly require similar exams, including FIFA, MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL, and cited an NCAA study from 2002 to 2022 that found 143 sudden cardiac deaths among athletes, or one in 63,682 athlete-years.

By Feb. 18, 2026, Sakr had already met with the Medical Working Group and the CrossFit Athlete Council, and four early evaluations had been submitted. The Medical Working Group’s 2026 priorities include reviewing the PPE process, medical-team composition, injury-prevention data and whether CrossFit should publish peer-reviewed guidelines for functional fitness programming. The Athlete Council backed the screening recommendation on March 19, 2026.

The 2026 season also marks the 20th year of the CrossFit Games, which began in 2007 in Aromas, California. The Open ran from Feb. 26 to March 16, the top 25% of individuals and age-group athletes advanced to Quarterfinals, and the Games are set for July 24-26 at SAP Center in San Jose.