European Masters Throwdown

# A Personal Message from the Founder

12 years is a very long time.

In the autumn of 2014, I dreamed of creating a competition for Masters athletes. I still vividly remember that first outdoor event in Pécs. Many of you reading this were there, and many of you are people I first met through EMT.

Over the years, friendships have been formed, business relationships have started, and countless memories have been created. EMT has always been more than just a competition. For many of you, the community experience has become just as important as the workouts themselves, and it is one of the reasons why you keep returning to Budapest year after year.

Twelve years is a long time, and EMT has changed a lot during that journey. We have moved between venues, tried new formats, and always aimed to provide the best possible competition experience.

I have changed too. 12 years ago, there were hardly any grey hairs in my beard or hair. 😊

One thing, however, has never changed. From the very first day, I have put my heart and soul into this competition. As most of you know, EMT has always been much more to me than a job or an event. It has been a passion and a huge part of my life.

At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that our sport has also changed.

Whether it is due to the direction of CrossFit as a company, the tragic loss of Lazar Đukić, the rise of other functional fitness sports, or a combination of all these factors, participation numbers across the sport have changed significantly in recent years.

Unfortunately, this is something we also see in EMT. Participation has gradually decreased year after year, especially in the younger Masters divisions. Maintaining the quality and experience that EMT deserves is becoming increasingly difficult under these circumstances.

After a great deal of thought, we have made a difficult decision.

The 2026 Final will be the last European Masters Throwdown in its current form as a CrossFit Masters competition.

If you have ever wanted to test yourself at what is arguably Europe's largest and most established Masters competition, this will be your final opportunity to do so.

I truly hope you will join us in Budapest this September and help us celebrate everything EMT has been over the last decade.

But this is not the end.

I believe change can be positive, and I fully expect that we will meet again next year—just in a different format.

As a small preview of the future, one of the workouts at this year's Final will feature a HYROX-style endurance and fitness challenge. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Looking ahead to 2027, we plan to welcome this incredible community back through a new hybrid fitness competition format inspired by HYROX simulation racing.

But before we think about the future, let's enjoy one final, challenging, unforgettable EMT CrossFit competition together.

As the saying goes:

"Don't cry because it's over.
Smile because it happened."

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Mézes Gergely
Founder & CEO
European Masters Throwdown

🏆 The EMT 2026 Qualification has officially come to an end, and we are thrilled to see athletes from all across Europe joining us for the 10th anniversary edition of the European Masters Throwdown!

Some RX and Scaled age divisions exceeded our originally planned capacity, while in others fewer athletes submitted qualification scores than expected.

After reviewing the participation numbers across all divisions, we have decided to adjust the qualification cut-offs. As a result, every athlete who completed the qualification process will receive an invitation to compete.

🎉 This means that everyone who successfully completed the qualifier can expect an invitation and will have the opportunity to be part of the 10th Anniversary EMT Individual Competition!

📩 Official invitations will be sent out on Monday.

📍 We also expect to confirm and announce the competition venue by the end of next week.

Thank you for your trust, your hard work, and for helping us celebrate ten years of the European Masters Throwdown. We can't wait to welcome you to Budapest this September!

🏁 The EMT 2026 Qualification Has Officially Closed!

Thank you to everyone who took part! 🙌 We hope you enjoyed the workouts and the challenge along the way.

Now it's time for us to process the results:
✅ review the number of athletes in each age division
✅ verify submitted scores and videos where necessary
✅ finalize the official qualification results

📊 The official leaderboard will be published no later than June 8th.

Thank you for your patience, and enjoy a well-deserved recovery! 💪

European Masters Throwdown Team

6 days left, are you excited?
You are not in yet?

Registration still open, details follow the link⤵
Lets see the numbers❗

RX:
30+ 8 females 12 males
35+ 8 females 10 males
40+ 4 females 23 males
45+ 14 females 41 males
50+ 12 females 27 males
55+ 8 females 20 males
60+ 4 females 10 males

Scaled:
30+ 10 females 8 males
35+ 8 females 18 males
40+ 10 females 12 males
45+ 8 females 22 males
50+ 1 male
55+ 2 male

Here we go! Qualification WOD2 Scaled