ADF officially endorses CrossFit for the troops

The endorsement brings opportunities with the ADF for funding and activities.

The ADF Sport association has also planned to host a training camp for the Down Under Championship and facilitate online competitions later this year.

The recognition follows CrossFit becoming an Air Force-endorsed sport in 2019 and endorsed sport with the Army in 2022.

Sergeant Elona Stewart, chief operating officer of the new ADF association, described the difference this will make for members.

“Athletes have previously given up on the sport, or they’ve gotten out of the ADF, because they wanted to pursue a career in [CrossFit], but couldn’t,” SGT Stewart said.

“There have been a lot of people in the CrossFit space trying to convince others that we should be looked at the same as any other top-end sport. But because it’s so new, people don’t look at it in that light.

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“Now we can get support through chain of command, get funding, and create teams across services to do national competitions and compete under the ADF banner.

“CrossFit is one of those sports that is very unique,” SGT Stewart said.

“A lot of people hear and see CrossFit as a training methodology. But there’s also the competitive side where you do competitions.”

Competitions entail an element of surprise, with competitors not finding out what the activity is going to be until the week or day prior.

“Is it going to be something that’s my strength or my weakness – something I’m going to suffer through?” SGT Stewart said.

“Unlike in other sports where you train for something specific, in CrossFit you’re training a variety of things – strength, gymnastics, cardio, etc. So you have to be an all-rounder.”

For Flight Lieutenant Cameron Maher, an instructor in CBRND (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defence) at the School of Military Engineering at Holsworthy, CrossFit works for him because it puts him out of his comfort zone.

“I started around 2012 after watching some of the major events,” FLTLT Maher said.

“I was seeking more well-rounded fitness while playing rugby league at the time.”

He went on to become a CrossFit coach and competed in the premier CrossFit competition Down Under Championship last year.

Both FLTLT Maher and SGT Stewart spoke highly of the CrossFit community.

“It’s an amazing community to join,” SGT Stewart said.

“People are so inclusive of everyone.

“Everything is scalable and modifiable; even if you don’t compete you can do it as part of your everyday life.”

In CrossFit competitions there are beginners, intermediate, and advanced categories.

“You get different demographics in any sport,” FLTLT Maher said.

“Like anything, there are people who are more assertive, but generally, people are welcoming and enjoy helping others out.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.