About Kalis Games
The Kalis Games was born in June 2017 at a small coffee shop in the heart of the Philippine capital. Having worked numerous events all across Asia, Australia and the US, our founder felt that there was a need for a quality event reflective of the highest standards in the functional fitness community of the Orient. Being centrally situated and extremely accessible with its people possessing an East-West mentality, Manila was the perfect place to welcome friends from all over the world given its cultural and geographical identity.
The Kalis Games is not just another competition. It is a MOVEMENT committed to bringing back and being true to the essence of the Asian core values of excellence, hard work, respect for one another and valuing relationships.
We also believe in paying close attention to the fundamentals of an event, such as WORKOUT PROGRAMMING. How the workouts are made and in what order is extremely important in putting up a comprehensive test of fitness, and we wanted to work with people who were not only some of the best in the field, but also had a heart to help develop the sport in Asia.
Sean Velas, former CrossFit Gymnastics Seminar Staff member and current Head Coach and co-owner of the legendary CrossFit Soul in Miami, Florida, programmed the workouts for the first-ever Kalis Games held on October 2018.
In 2019, former CrossFit Headquarters Seminar Staff member, Head Coach and Owner of CrossFit Xtreme Athletics in San Jose, California and 2018 CrossFit Games Masters Champion Neal Maddox joined the Kalis family as our Programming Partner. He created the Online Qualifier and Finals workouts for 2019, and continues to fulfill the same role for our 2020 season.
The VENUE is also extremely important, and the Crossroad Center has been integral to the success of the Kalis Games. Aside from the competition floor, we take special care to ensure that there is ample warm-up space for our athletes including recovery and treatment rooms, an athlete dining area and lounge rooms, toilets, as well as shower facilities. In the Vendor Village, there are designated areas for gear and a section especially set up for food vendors where they can safely prepare their offerings. Seating with full view of the competition floor is also available in the balcony area should fans and family members feel the need to rest.
We also believe in STRONG PARTNERSHIPS with brands that have the same commitment to quality and excellence as we do, and we are privileged to have had the support of the following brands:
Assault Fitness and PACE Prehab and Recovery, RX Smart Gear, PlayHard Equipment and DNX Equipment have been our biggest sponsors, followed by Gatorz Eyewear, Powerdot and Burgener Strength. These brands have been with us on our journey from the very beginning (2018). 2019 saw Reebok Philippines, Virus International, PLDT Home, LifeAid Philippines and Hyundai Quezon Avenue joining the family.
A major milestone
also marked our second year as the Kalis Games officially became part of the sport of CrossFit® as Asia’s first Licensed CrossFit® Event*. It was also in our second year that we received affirmation about the quality of our work as an officiating body for a CrossFit® competition. Two Sanctioned CrossFit® Events, the Asia CrossFit® Championship in Shanghai, China, and the Down Under CrossFit® Championship in Wollongong, Australia, gave pre-qualification to our RX Male and RX Female Category Champions, which would provide them a chance to compete for an invitation to the CrossFit® Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
All of these have worked in synergy with others to help our team move closer towards our goal of creating an event that caters to the collective well-being and growth of the community:
For ATHLETES and their COACHES, to provide an avenue to showcase the results of their hard work in training through challenging, yet fun workouts in an environment which is as clean and well-designed as possible, in a competition that is run by a highly-trained and efficient officiating body.
For SPECTATORS, to provide a fun experience through an exciting competition, interesting vendors and a comfortable venue.
For BUSINESSES, to connect them with the right market and customer base, whether it be through our media when they support us with sponsorships or having a retail space at our Vendor Village.
For VOLUNTEERS, to provide a vibrant experience by giving them a challenging work environment where they can both share their expertise and learn at the same time as part of a caring community.
What the future looks like for us: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Our goal for the future is not only to have the competition side, but also to connect KEY TEACHERS and FORWARD THINKERS on important issues such as health and wellness to people on this side of the world. Our first step toward this goal began with the inaugural Kalis Lifestyle Festival last March 23, 2019 which covered such topics as Lifestyle Education (How to Increase Neuroplasticity), Aqua Vitae (Health Benefits of Whiskey and other Libations), Relaxation in Movement (Qi Gong) and Fitness for Kids, to name a few.
November 2019 also saw the first Kalis Sessions. CrossFit® icon Neal Maddox and Aerobic Capacity founder and legendary coach Chris Hinshaw held their Aerobic Capacity x Maddox Method Master Class at CrossFit Infinitas, sharing their knowledge and expertise with athletes of different levels.
The first-ever Kalis Games was held in October 2018 and it was attended by 57 athletes, 160 volunteers and roughly 750 spectators. On our second year, almost 400 athletes from all around the world registered for the Online Qualifiers and 157 of them from 26 different countries and territories moved on to the Finals, which were held in November 2019. They were assisted by almost 200 volunteers and cheered on by more than a thousand spectators on-site as well as their families and friends abroad through our global live stream. From around 7,000 social media impressions in 2018 we grew to almost 1,000,000 in 2019. In addition, our vendors enjoyed close to Php2,000,000 in collective sales as well.
This year, we hope to organically expand our community while keeping true to our motto:
Empowering the Filipino. Empowering the Asian. Empowering every human being.
