WODProof ensures the future of fair online workout submissions with an all-new validation algorithm.
WODProof rose from the community and has always been attentive to our members’ needs. In 2019 we started to see that some athletes used the CrossFit Games video submission rules in a way that could hide their weaknesses. If a given workout wasn’t their forte, they allowed themselves to submit scores that won’t hurt their position on the leaderboard. These athletes hoped the CrossFit Games team would not ask for that specific Open workout video. They would try to record again if requested, hoping to match their submitted score. Every “fake” score impacted Games athletes and could position them outside a qualifying spot for the Games.
Just a reminder – Noah Ohlsen, a multi-year Games athlete, nearly missed a ticket to the Games due to this. After saving his spot by the thread of a hair, Noah eventually took 2nd place at the Games.
Later that year, WODProof announced the WODProof GO timestamp to validate the authenticity of submitted videos. Over 90% of the sanctioned events joined the mission and used WODProof as their fair competition timer.
WODProof’s announcement post said:” By supporting the WODProof GO timestamp, you are supporting a fair online competition. Together, We can minimize the gap between online qualifiers and live competition.”
Since then, WODProof has implemented various tools and algorithms to validate any video submitted to any competition – Most hidden to the eye. Our qualifiers team does not need the original video to know whether the video was recorded within the competition’s given timeframe or if it was edited or manipulated in some way.
Any revolution starts with a big drama, and the same happened this year’s Open with one of the WODProof team athletes: Sasha Nievas.
From The Barbell Spin: Yesterday afternoon, all eyes were on Sasha Nievas’ video submission for 23.2. In the video at the 18:30 mark, the video had a “ghosting” effect where Sasha’s judge appeared twice, giving the impression that the video was edited or spliced. The talk on social media exploded yesterday afternoon when Andrew Hiller went live on YouTube and showed the video in question.
After the drama started, Sasha replaced the submitted video with her WODProof video.
When the WODProof app was set up for 23.2, it was set to a 14:00 clock as it was not adjusted from last week’s 23.1 time cap. So when Sasha was doing the workout, the clock stopped but continued recording. (The Barbell Spin).
Right after the video was published, the community claimed that Sasha edited the WODProof video, so the heaviest thruster will fit the 20:00 cap.
Within less than a coffee break, the WODProof qualifiers team validated the matching times between the uploaded workout on YouTube and our system. Combining all of the relevant factors (visible and hidden), we confirmed that the video was 100% NOT manipulated. After that, we also shared our support for Sasha on social media.
Moving forward, the WODProof team is here to clear the fog and ambiguity. Whether an athlete, an event manager or a truth evangelist, you can submit a validation request and get official approval from WODProof.
Best of all, we’ve already made it easier for athletes recording with WODProof on iOS devices. Every competition video recorded has a QR code embedded on the screen. This code appears during your intro and disappears when starting the timer. This code includes your workout info and additional details for our team to validate. Scanning the code allows you to submit a validation request and make it even easier for our team to get back to you with all the necessary info.
FAQ
Video Validation Frequently Asked Questions
You can give it a try 😉 we’ll know it in milliseconds.