CrossFit Asia | Okinawa, Japan | Est. 2008
The first CrossFit affiliate in Asia. The story behind the name, from a small group of athletes in Okinawa to a competitive record that carried Okinawa across Asia and beyond.
2008 to 2009
CrossFit Asia opened in Okinawa in 2008 as the first CrossFit affiliate in Asia, affiliate number 952. What began as a small group of athletes in Okinawa City, training with barbells and bumper plates in a simple box, grew into one of the most respected gyms in the region. For years it was known as Reebok CrossFit Asia, and it built its name on a simple idea: mechanics and consistency before intensity.
Mechanics and consistency before intensity.
The competitive drive showed early. In 2009, one year after opening, the gym sent its first athlete to the CrossFit Games at the Ranch in Aromas, California. 1st Lt. Rob Gerdes, who trained at CrossFit Asia, won the gym's regional qualifier and made the trip to compete on the sport's biggest stage.
2011 to 2018
Through the 2010s, CrossFit Asia became a fixture of competition in the region. In 2011 the gym hosted the CrossFit Games Asia Regional at its own facility in Okinawa City, over three days from June 10 to 12. In 2012 the team ranked first in Asia in the CrossFit Open, and Christen Wagner went to the CrossFit Games as an individual.
The high point came in 2013. Reebok CrossFit Asia won the CrossFit Games Asia Regional in Seoul and earned the region's team spot at the CrossFit Games. The winning roster was Brent McCall, Kristen Arnold, Naoya Arasaki, Christen Wagner, Samuel Johnson, and Tara McCall. Reebok Japan even made custom team shoes for the squad.
Photo: U.S. Air Force, 18th Wing Public Affairs (VIRIN 130602-F-FL999-002). Public domain.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) visual information does not imply or constitute Department of War endorsement.
The team ranked first in Asia in the Open again in 2015 and 2016. In 2018 it competed at the Pacific Regional in Sydney and opened its current home in Chibana, the end of a years-long search for the right facility.
2021 to 2024
The competitive thread continued into the 2020s. In 2021 the team competed at the CrossFit Games Semifinals, the stage that replaced Regionals.
HOST VENUE
Home of the Japan Championship
In October 2022, CrossFit Asia hosted the Japan Championship national finals at its Okinawa facility, on October 8 and 9. Several CrossFit Asia athletes qualified for the finals and reached the podium: Yumiko Hara and Riki Okabe in the Competitor Division, Rei Oshiro and Sayaka Tamanaha in the Fitness Division, and Akinori Sakai in third place in Competitor Men.
Japan Championship 2022 | October 8 and 9, 2022 | CrossFit Asia, Okinawa
In 2024 coach Akinori Sakai reached the CrossFit Games Quarterfinals, competing among the best in the region.
Beyond the leaderboard
The record on paper was only part of the story. CrossFit Asia brought world-class coaching to Okinawa, hosting the Outlaw training camp in 2012 and an Olympic weightlifting champion for a seminar in 2017. Its athletes traveled to compete across the region, including the Asia Championships in Hong Kong and Thailand, and its masters athletes, among them Patty Banks, represented the gym in the worldwide Open.
Through every season, the gym stayed what it had always been: a community that trained together, raised families together, and carried Okinawa's name wherever it competed. That is the ground the next chapter is built on.
Sources and Credits
The history on this page is drawn from CrossFit's official competition records, the gym's own archive, and public reporting. Sources are cited for reference. Photographs are used by public domain, license, or permission, and remain the property of their respective owners.
Image credit: U.S. Air Force / 18th Wing Public Affairs and U.S. Marine Corps / DVIDS, public domain US Government works.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) visual information does not imply or constitute Department of War endorsement.