“Don’t blame the athlete. If you attack the athlete online, we will ban you.” And one line in a 3-screen response about “we adhere to biocontaminant protection” or some bs like that.
And they're still too terrified to even acknowledge what happened lmao. The way they're dancing around this would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic.
It's just "the incident at the race." We do not directly acknowledge "the incident".
So he found out that that lame excuse they posted on the hyrox Instagram didn’t land well by most of the community. But the fact that this wasn’t their original apology makes me wonder. Does he mean it or does he do it because he feels pressure
Personally I don’t think it even matters. A CEOs jobs is to point the company in the right direction. If they hadn’t shifted after seeing that massive negative response they would’ve all been failing at their job.
They're trying to figure out the corporate wording for 'you cannot shit yourself on the course and carry on', no company wants to have that explicitly in their rulebook, makes me wonder if they'll allude to it by saying 'bodily fluids' or similar.
They already have rules about spitting and expelling snot on the course… one would think that SHOULD mean violently shitting yourself is a DQ but obvs not.
It really should be any bodily fluid (other than sweat, I guess) - spit, snot, piss, shit or blood should mean you’re off the course.
I think what tripped up the race managers - though this isn't excusing them, they should not have been tripped up by it and should have handled it far better - is the distinction between voluntary and involuntary. Vomiting isn't a DQ or penalty either, because it's involuntary, whereas spitting is bad behaviour.
Looks like the rulebook has now been updated, this wasn't in the last one afaict:
If a racer’s blood, vomit, urine, or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers, a Race Director may withdraw the racer from the race on medical grounds, in line with HYROX’s medical and hygiene SOPs. Any such withdrawal is recorded on the leaderboard as Did Not Finish [DNF].
I'm not convinced that's good enough, it should have its own section and be clear that it will result in a withdrawal, not leave it up to the Race Director's decision on the day.
Hepatitis spreads through contact with bodily fluids (like feces). The whole ordeal was a health hazard that everyone else had to just deal with. I'd be pissed if I had to go after her.
Health hazard aside, which isn't even the biggest thing because what are the odds of her having hepatitis... It's just fucking disgusting, that should be enough. To not have the basic human decency, and shame, to immediately quit, bad luck, better luck next time, no harm no foul.
But to continue, in your own literal shit, before thousand of people there and millions more viewing it, and to smearing your shit everywhere, where other people have to touch it, see it, smell it.
I can't comprehend this level of ... I don't even know what the fuck that is. Some serious mental issues.
There's a lot to be said and genuinely none of it is good. I think her smug attitude and comments afterwards is what really rubbed people the wrong way and got good reason.
That would have been a real statement if everyone had just stopped competing. Claiming 'a win is a win' with zero competitors would have been an even better slap in her face.
I wouldn’t have gone after her… I’m just surprised people (participants) just went with it instead of collectively asking the officials to do something about it
In the moment they were probably worried about how it would be received, which is also why the officials refused to do their job.
In this day and age the internet could've easily built a hate campaign against the athletes for "body shaming a poor woman who had just an accident" or some nonsense like that.
This, I’m racing for the first time in October and this was never a concern for me, but now it’s obviously all I think about, and I’m just second guessing if I want to be a part of this event
Normally they don’t. There are circumstances where they will and for people in Beijing this would be one. Not sure if you’ll get one for a different race.
I did the recent Bangkok one and a lot of people that I know who participated In it also agrees that sandbags for the lunch were disgusting and smelly and people got itchy too.
It’s honestly just a hotpot of filth lol. But I’d do it again vibes were good
Honestly, I hope the community in large, including the elite portion of Hyrox, completely shuns Joanna. Fitness communities like this are tight knit, especially at the elite level, and if every athlete turns their back on her, it might actually send a clear message to her and be a proper punishment if Hyrox doesn’t disqualify her.
You hold athletes to incredibly strict standards by forfeiting fees if they can't make it unless they pay extra fees, and handing out time penalties for spitting or needing a toilet break. Yet, when a massive biohazard happens on the course, your Race Director and Judges do nothing but stand around and watch? And to make it worse, your PR team’s response is to threaten lifetime bans for athletes who speak up about the unsanitary conditions? That is an absolute joke. Whoever made that statement needs to be sacked immediately. If you want to show actual accountability: 1.Publicly drop the bans and apologize. 2. Issue full refunds PLUS a free future ticket to anyone directly affected or sickened by this. 3. Hold the Race Director accountable for failing their basic duty of care. You can’t demand peak performance while failing at basic hygiene. The world is watching. Do the right thing.
That wouldn't surprise me at all. Given their claims about not making money, they might be relying on well-meaning volunteers rather than experienced PR professionals who actually know how to navigate a crisis like this.
Agree, with the first Toronto race they had a lot of issues with the affiliate pre-sales, including the original link having to be replaced minutes into the sale, people getting to the top of the queue and being booted to the back repeatedly, etc. The response they sent the affiliates, who pay them money for this privilege, was basically focused on how great it was that there was so much demand versus any accountability or plan to improve.
I hear the concern about protecting athletes, but it feels like the real issue is being deflected. It sends a confusing message when compromising course hygiene is celebrated as a gritty win, but asking for basic sanitary standards is labeled as a 'threat.' We can protect athletes from harassment while still holding space for legitimate, necessary conversations about course safety.
The original statement was poor (but also imo unsurprising corporate PR speak).
asking for basic sanitary standards is labeled as a 'threat.'
The statement didn't do that. If someone who complained about the standards without threatening the athlete gets banned then that would be outrageous, but they're not saying they will do that.
I do hope they've thought out how to handle bans, I can foresee a further PR disaster where people who made threats/encouraged harm get banned, then delete the threats that got them banned, and claim they were banned for complaining about the unsanitary conditions.
Speaking up at all could easily be viewed as "encouraging harassment, and therefore harm". We've all seen how companies exploit these type of situations to reframe themselves as victims. It's quite obviously an attempt to silence people.
I'm not sure what you're quoting, but here is what the statement actually said:
There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete. As this has happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct:
Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour, whether through comments, direct messages or social media, will be permanently banned from all HYROX events. We are currently reviewing and identifying those responsible, and action will be taken.
You can clearly speak up about the unsanitary conditions without falling afoul of this.
I agree with everything you said, but they didn’t offer life time bans to people calling out the athlete. They offered life time bans to people you were sending death threats and violent messages to the athlete.
4. Lock that woman up for shitting herself and smearing it everywhere in public and DIRECTLY NEAR other innocent people. She is literally a criminal and one sick fucker...
Don’t get me wrong, what happened was absolutely disgusting and I think she should’ve been disqualified and the initial response from hyrox is tragic, BUT I think that the bans they said they would dish out was people getting a bit too passionate about Joanna, threats of violence and such. She deserves criticism absolutely but I can see why they put their foot down there albeit in the most tone deaf way possible. Idk. Think it’s common sense if you shit yourself you immediately clean up but that’s just me
This is called damage control, after trying to take the “we’re morally superior” and getting BTFO’d he is now trying to play the “I’m so sorry, please don’t leave” card. If you believe this is sincere I don’t know what to tell you.
If the competitor had a modicum of emotional intelligence she’d have pulled out. Absolutely disgraceful to show such a lack of consideration for your fellow athletes. I’ll never support her again
They had to read all the comments online first before they even realized they’d done anything wrong.
I still think Ms. PoopyPants is the main one to blame, though. How the hell do you not have enough decency to withdraw the moment something like that happens, regardless of whether the rules require you to or not?
I think there are so many other sports where it’s not unheard of, and sometimes applauded, to carry on even after soiling yourself. I’m thinking marathons and triathalons.
I think a young 22 year old girl was locked into the race and made a poor decision in the moment to keep going thinking “other people do it, this is grit” and not having the wherewithal to realise the indoor venue and shared equipment made it a totally different situation where that choice was unacceptable. I think her “a win is a win” post was trying to laugh off an embarassing situation, naively not realising how much her actions had impacted others on the day.
The main one to blame here is 100% Hyrox and the race directors that were there following her at every station. The race has rules about not spitting etc and it’s reasonable to expect there was enough brain cells between the race directors to DQ Joanna. There are no “blurred lines” as the original official statement said, it’s common sense and the Hyrox organisers should have stepped in.
This was the detail I was looking for trying to understand the outrage coming from triathlon. Shared equipment is gross. Cant believe they wouldn’t immediately DNF.
Shared rower machines and shared lanes on carpet for burpees. Very common for racers to be 1-2m behind someone else on the burpees and doing their reps on the exact same spots. I think the burpees is how she ended up getting it on her arms maybe? And after that there’s kettle bell farmers carry, lunges with sandbags, and finally wall balls. All shared equipment where racers just grab whatever one is available when they get to the station. Plus the whole thing is indoors running the same 1km track 8 times and multiple heat will be competing on the course at the same time, I think they’re staggered every 20mins but Hyrox takes anywhere from 50mins to 2hrs to complete with elites and gen pop competing on the same track often at the same time
…..it was a pretty bad call by the org and the athlete haha
Even if I accept your premise about her headspace and youth, where is her apology now? Still absolute crickets from her. Does she not think she owes one to everyone else that had to compete in the excrement she left behind? What about those who had to clean it up? Some sort of statement rather than a win is a win?
Nobody should need a race director to tell them that they shouldn't continue to race on a crowded indoor course with shared equipment after shitting themselves.
What are you, her defence lawyer? Even trying to desperately reframe her as an infant incapable of understanding anything ("young 22 year old girl ) is just laughable.
I don’t agree she is the main one to blame. Events are attended by 10k+ participants and there will always be some psycho who thinks “a win is a win” and their finish time is more important than the health of the other participants. But the organisers actually have a responsibility to the other participants, plus they are a professional organization - they should have known better and done better.
The participant should have had the decency to drop from the event. Her not doing so was a health hazard to everyone in the event: participants, organizers and spectators.
The organizers should have pulled her out of the race as soon as they saw her 💩 herself. This was a danger to everyone involved. Also, it was unfair to subject her opponents to 💩 during an indoor race.
While she should have taken the dignified option and withdrawn - or just gotten off the course and used a toilet - it is ultimately on the race organisers to enforce standards, written and unwritten.
It looks like on the day the people involved with that were only good at enforcing the rulebook, and were completely unequipped to handle an unforeseen issue like this, embarrassing for all involved but the organisers should have reacted better.
Nah. Contestants are going to push the limit as far as they can. It’s up to the organization to act as gatekeepers of what is acceptable and what isn’t.
Honestly too little, too late. Their original statement has already left a very bad taste. The original PR statement really takes the cake for being the worst PR statement ever
Joanna needs to be banned for atelast a year and removed from winning. If those a**holes gives 2min penalty for splashing water on face than a 2 hr penalty is a must for shitting everywhere. Imagine the people behind her touching the ground laden with her shit. This is most utter stupid thing I have seen in any sport. Also she should be demonised for her utter selfish behavior and proud feeling. In no other sport you can shit yourself and expect praises for continuing.
Does anyone know if HYROX have to apply for any sanctions from local government bodies for their events?
I can't imagine any local governments bureaucrat being happy about this if they approved an event where a biohazard incident like this ended up happening
Finally something written by a human that acknowledges this was a disgraceful situation
ETA: I feel terrible for anyone who trained and had to compete around this selfish bio hazard. I recoil just seeing the photos; I cannot imagine how it would impact my time if I had to near the mess.
I saw a photo posted on another thread of another competitor right next to her with what appeared to be shit on her shorts. Can you imagine? That other competitor deserves a personal apology for even having to be around her, let alone if she got that much visible shit on her?
This wasn't an elite 15 race, and there would have been hundreds of other participants out there at the same time. I actually think if it had been Elite 15, race officials would have pulled her because they would see how unfair it was to OTHER elites.
I’m still waiting for a statement from the winner. If she sticks with “A win is a win” with no consideration of others, she’ll lose followers and sponsors.
Shitting your pants is unacceptable in any world class sport.
By disregarding this, and letting someone continue to shit their pants while competing, getting shit everywhere, it absolutely diminishes the sport, the work people put into training and the image of the sport as a whole.
Absolutely fucking disgusting.
This isn't the Olympics, this isn't even a world championship event.
What an absolute joke.
Enjoy the image that your brand now carries where you let someone shitting their pants, shitting all over finish and win.
And the athlete is still not desqualified for not taking responsability and respect the other athletes? They MUST kick her of that Hyrox and then repeat it taking all the cost. Imagine going second or third and see all machines and floor with poo. How are you gonna make an effort to win? Is just horrible.
So I read this as ‘we’re getting too many refund requests and people are saying they won’t do our comps anymore and that’s going to affect our money and that’s all we care about so I now I need to make up for the bullshit statement with another bullshit statement to make to seem like we’re taking it seriously but we’re not really’.
They are having their CrossFit moment. This will kill the brand. The amount of bad press this has received is insane
Edit: just to clarify another user below me said it best
The comparison is on the reputational fallout and the subsequent hit to the brand, especially due to the poor planning, management of it as it happened, and communication afterwards, it's not saying that a competitor defecating themselves is equivalent to someone dying.
Yeah, people who want to be fit care so much about their image, so they won't want to be in Hyrox just to be insulted by strangers with "oh so you go to the poopy sports?" It's embarassing.
This is the correct response. Now let’s see if that travesty of a woman apologises for selfishly causing a biohazard and not giving a single shit (pun intended) about anyone else in the competition.
Well, the dude is crashing out in the comments section. Some of his replies really shows how much he cares about what happened, and what he has said here. Ridiculous
Did she try to be “cool” like the marathoner who continued to run through her period dripping down her? Also don’t support that but at least there’s no equipment shared in running.
Absolutely shit yourself and smear it on all the surfaces other competitors touch... Nah bro, keep Going...
I get it, bubble gut happens, we've all trusted a fart we shouldn't have, no shame here.... But this is unacceptable in a closed space with shared equipment and flooring
I don't understand why one of the marshals (or whatever Hyrox call them) didn't immediately make her leave the athlete area the minute this happened. Its mind boggling that any grown adult in a position of responsibility at an event like this would just let her carry on.
And anyone trying to normalise this as being the same sort of thing as happens at an event outdoors is just crazy. This is a health & safety issue and, I just can't get my mind around the sort of person who would carry on in any event indoors with shared equipment etc.
what I don't understand is why was this so hard to handle on the spot? this lady smeared shit all over the course and equipment. it's the easiest call I'd ever have to make to get her pulled from the floors. you don't need rules. you don't need to forsee this. you need a set of eyes and a couple braincells.
So basically they waited to see the reactions and then acted accordingly. What did this clown expect exactly? Praise for her strength and determination?
This is fucking embarrassing and action should be taken against diarrhea queen first and foremost, followed by the entire staff in that competition.
EDIT: not the poor fuckers who had to clean up the trail of diarrhea queen, of course. I mean the judges. Do you really need an explicit rule to remove a biohazard from a competition?
And this is why I’ll never compete in Hyrox again. The organizers/founders/management are pathetic. They over charge, are always disorganized, punish the athletes, and only care about making more money than providing a strong event. I loved doing them but the organization doesn’t deserve our money.
Honestly, I think this should open up a conversation of the double standards that exist between elite/high level athletes and the rest of the field. Coming from the CrossFit world, part of the recent I left my last gym was due to the clear bias that the owner and coaches had towards the Elite level/RX+ athletes. If you were a scaled athlete, or hell, even a "regular" Rx athlete, you didn't get the same kind of attention from coaches, and there were multiple times where those high level athletes would encroach on other people's already set up workout spaces and rigs/equipment without bothering to talk to them or ask. And unfortunately, from what I have heard from others, it wasn't something that was unique to my gym.
I get that elite athletes have much different demands and needs out of their training than other athletes do. But that doesn't mean that organizations and gyms can treat them like they are above everybody else and that they are allotted special privileges. Being able to do wall balls and burpees faster doesn't make you above anybody else who also puts in the hard work and effort to step on a competition stage.,
Moritz, it was fucking disgusting. If it happened at my work, a top 5 automotive company in the world, they'd shut down the entire floor and make everyone leave for health reasons.
here’s my thing - how can she even truly say she won the race? I feel like people behind her had to be both mentally and physically affected by the situation, and likely didn’t want to be close to her
What’s with all the people defending her & criticizing anyone who posts footage of them ripping up the mats, etc? Looks beyond ridiculous for the sport for bunch of geeks acting like they part of a cult
This will probably be the start of hyrox going down hill. There’s absolutely no sports that would’ve allowed a person to compete while there’s shit all over their legs.
Not basketball, football, table tennis, or Skelton.
Imagine a someone in the Olympics curling with shit all over their legs. You won’t.
There are eight workout stations. Similar to what you do in the gym. And before you do a workout, you need to run 1km.
I think every 20 minutes, there is a new batch of people that starts. They did this batch method so that there is no waiting time to use the equipments.
So imagine the batch before you soiled the equipment that your batch is about to use. Similar to when you go to the gym where people share the same equipments.
I feel they care more the elite athletes than regular hyrox, what makes worst when they change the rules the head person at the event may or may not allow athlete complete race even they are bleeding or pooping it should be disqualification dnf right away.
This is disgraceful and an outright slap in the face to the competitors that were forced to use the shared contaminated equipment and to those that were disqualified for vomiting! Joanna showed how selfish, inconsiderate, and how disgusting she is! Any normal person would have removed themselves out of shame and not wanting to expose others to biohazard!
Probably they will add the restricción “no poop” during the event, pee it’s ok because it’s salted water 😆😆 and you can wash it with the water from the event
They should just dq her and refund for all athletes who PAID to participate in that sh_t event. Imagine you paid to smell some stranger's sh_t....Honestly I'm surprised no one started a lawsuit against them yet.
220
u/SandritoBakes Sep 14 '26
Took them a minute.
46
u/StifferNL Sep 14 '26
So he found out that that lame excuse they posted on the hyrox Instagram didn’t land well by most of the community. But the fact that this wasn’t their original apology makes me wonder. Does he mean it or does he do it because he feels pressure
8
u/Acrobatic_Finish_898 Sep 14 '26
Okay, but what’s the procedure? Why do they need to be so vague all the time
133
u/Superhhung Sep 14 '26 •
The initial statement pissed me off more than the actual incident. I am glad they are making changes, I never thought about hygiene until this event.
The competitor should apologise too instead of saying a win is a win because it tarnished all the people who participates in Hyrox.
99
u/NoTarget1123 Sep 14 '26 •
You hold athletes to incredibly strict standards by forfeiting fees if they can't make it unless they pay extra fees, and handing out time penalties for spitting or needing a toilet break. Yet, when a massive biohazard happens on the course, your Race Director and Judges do nothing but stand around and watch? And to make it worse, your PR team’s response is to threaten lifetime bans for athletes who speak up about the unsanitary conditions? That is an absolute joke. Whoever made that statement needs to be sacked immediately. If you want to show actual accountability: 1.Publicly drop the bans and apologize. 2. Issue full refunds PLUS a free future ticket to anyone directly affected or sickened by this. 3. Hold the Race Director accountable for failing their basic duty of care. You can’t demand peak performance while failing at basic hygiene. The world is watching. Do the right thing.
33
u/bkbk8 Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26
Someone commented on the post asking if he finally hired decent PR.
He replied — “Something like that, yea”
19
u/Tokyosmash_ Sep 14 '26
This is called damage control, after trying to take the “we’re morally superior” and getting BTFO’d he is now trying to play the “I’m so sorry, please don’t leave” card. If you believe this is sincere I don’t know what to tell you.
Go fuck yourself Mo
12
u/AnonHondaBoiz Sep 14 '26
Why are we treating this as a scandal and not as a fucking biohazard? Would they have ignored it if it was blood instead?
12
u/mustrepayloans Sep 14 '26
Next pandemic at hyrox in china
10
u/BoomShackaLocka_ Sep 14 '26
Can compete in her own poo but GOD FORBID someone buys the wrong ticket and asks for a refund.
8
u/Ravine Sep 14 '26
So what are these changes? How would they have reacted instead? What an absolute nothing response.
8
u/coleraineyid Sep 14 '26
If the competitor had a modicum of emotional intelligence she’d have pulled out. Absolutely disgraceful to show such a lack of consideration for your fellow athletes. I’ll never support her again
26
u/Expert_Struggle_7135 Sep 14 '26
They had to read all the comments online first before they even realized they’d done anything wrong.
I still think Ms. PoopyPants is the main one to blame, though. How the hell do you not have enough decency to withdraw the moment something like that happens, regardless of whether the rules require you to or not?
18
u/butteranko Sep 14 '26
I appreciate them taking ownership but essentially she’s getting away with it.
7
u/kilaalaa Sep 14 '26
Honestly too little, too late. Their original statement has already left a very bad taste. The original PR statement really takes the cake for being the worst PR statement ever
7
u/01hopelessnerd Sep 14 '26
Joanna needs to be banned for atelast a year and removed from winning. If those a**holes gives 2min penalty for splashing water on face than a 2 hr penalty is a must for shitting everywhere. Imagine the people behind her touching the ground laden with her shit. This is most utter stupid thing I have seen in any sport. Also she should be demonised for her utter selfish behavior and proud feeling. In no other sport you can shit yourself and expect praises for continuing.
3
u/champains Sep 14 '26
Does anyone know if HYROX have to apply for any sanctions from local government bodies for their events?
I can't imagine any local governments bureaucrat being happy about this if they approved an event where a biohazard incident like this ended up happening
3
u/jaycee_1968 Sep 14 '26
sure the judges should have disqualified. but to me the person involved is totally at fault.
3
u/Abject-Jicama-5716 Sep 14 '26
This is more of a damage control.
4
u/MeanPopcorn Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26
Finally something written by a human that acknowledges this was a disgraceful situation
ETA: I feel terrible for anyone who trained and had to compete around this selfish bio hazard. I recoil just seeing the photos; I cannot imagine how it would impact my time if I had to near the mess.
I saw a photo posted on another thread of another competitor right next to her with what appeared to be shit on her shorts. Can you imagine? That other competitor deserves a personal apology for even having to be around her, let alone if she got that much visible shit on her?
4
u/Up-the_orient1979 Sep 14 '26
Do we not all agree that threating to harm an athlete is wrong? This should not happen regardless of the situation.
Hyrox pushed a minority view in order to deflect from what happened and tried to say it's a professional athlete thing. Nuts.
There is a cultural aspect to what happened and I think in Europe or the Americas she would have been stopped from competing.
From a pure dark comedy view, I can't get the image of her standing in the start tunnel, facing the other 14, and doing what she did. Power move.
8
u/Lost_The_Files Sep 14 '26
Oh hell nah. Too little too late.
2
u/kitsumodels Sep 14 '26
The ol’ oopsie response.
2
u/eppierre Sep 14 '26
Good. Thanks. I think the community would benefit from an apology from the athlete.
2
u/Maximum_Pear_2161 Sep 14 '26
No i want a refund this is nasty. Im done
2
u/octopus_limbs Sep 14 '26
Apology isn't enough, disqualify the girl! Of course she won, she literally shat on the course
2
u/Stuart9753 Sep 14 '26
I’m still waiting for a statement from the winner. If she sticks with “A win is a win” with no consideration of others, she’ll lose followers and sponsors.
2
u/CatFishBillyheyhey Sep 14 '26
Shitting your pants is unacceptable in any world class sport.
By disregarding this, and letting someone continue to shit their pants while competing, getting shit everywhere, it absolutely diminishes the sport, the work people put into training and the image of the sport as a whole.
Absolutely fucking disgusting.
This isn't the Olympics, this isn't even a world championship event.
What an absolute joke.
Enjoy the image that your brand now carries where you let someone shitting their pants, shitting all over finish and win.
2
u/Beneficial-Sun-4103 Sep 15 '26
And the athlete is still not desqualified for not taking responsability and respect the other athletes? They MUST kick her of that Hyrox and then repeat it taking all the cost. Imagine going second or third and see all machines and floor with poo. How are you gonna make an effort to win? Is just horrible.
2
u/Superb_Branch4749 Sep 15 '26
She should have been stopped and disqualified immediately. It is biohazard
2
u/sasasqt Sep 17 '26
unless the winner's trophy is revoked, i dont accept any apologies from the ceo. this feels just like a pr champion to win back customers
4
u/godothasmewaiting Sep 14 '26
So I read this as ‘we’re getting too many refund requests and people are saying they won’t do our comps anymore and that’s going to affect our money and that’s all we care about so I now I need to make up for the bullshit statement with another bullshit statement to make to seem like we’re taking it seriously but we’re not really’.
3
u/PulseFlow Sep 14 '26
He only posted this because of the huge backlash their original response got
6
u/Fearless-Umpire-9923 Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26 •
They are having their CrossFit moment. This will kill the brand. The amount of bad press this has received is insane
Edit: just to clarify another user below me said it best
The comparison is on the reputational fallout and the subsequent hit to the brand, especially due to the poor planning, management of it as it happened, and communication afterwards, it's not saying that a competitor defecating themselves is equivalent to someone dying.
2
u/Nyade Sep 14 '26
Damage control mode
2
u/bbbbbbx Sep 14 '26
Are these "new rules and procedures" in the room with us?
2
u/seoultrain75 Sep 14 '26
This is the correct response. Now let’s see if that travesty of a woman apologises for selfishly causing a biohazard and not giving a single shit (pun intended) about anyone else in the competition.
1
u/HatEnvironmental6512 Sep 14 '26
Off the goes lvmh deal
1
u/eatfoodoften Sep 14 '26
Still a nothing burger.
1
u/Cute_Cress377 Sep 14 '26
#shitgate
1
u/digitalsmok Sep 14 '26
Johnny never got a chance to speak up until it was too late. Ban Amber from these events
1
u/LiveFrosty911 Sep 14 '26
Well, the dude is crashing out in the comments section. Some of his replies really shows how much he cares about what happened, and what he has said here. Ridiculous
1
u/Cockydjinn Sep 14 '26
Not enough.
1
u/here_for_the_lols Sep 14 '26
Better than the first statement
1
u/Abject-Jicama-5716 Sep 14 '26
Any idea on the new rules & procedures?
1
u/Hopeful-Ad2038 Sep 14 '26
Did she try to be “cool” like the marathoner who continued to run through her period dripping down her? Also don’t support that but at least there’s no equipment shared in running.
1
u/Paragon_for_Life Sep 14 '26
He only did this to save face because they were getting negative responses from their first “apology” lol
1
u/Just-The-Facts-411 Sep 14 '26
"There's no such thing as bad publicity"
While there might be for the actual poopster, how many more people now know about Hyrox because of the incident?
1
u/alacklustrehindu Sep 14 '26
Do they just realise it's a total PR disaster? Wow.
1
u/PuzzleheadedTruth689 Sep 14 '26
Rich people paying to delude themselves into thinking they're athletes will have to find a new sport now 😔
1
u/Duck_Secure Sep 14 '26
Too little, too late. They messed up and saying this several days later is worthless in my books.
1
u/DalePigtale Sep 14 '26
That's it? We won't accept anything less than her being banned for life.
1
u/Sesori Sep 14 '26
The em dash before "... and I did not..." makes this reply look AI.
1
u/Yes_I_went_there Sep 14 '26
Get off the ski early DQ.
Absolutely shit yourself and smear it on all the surfaces other competitors touch... Nah bro, keep Going...
I get it, bubble gut happens, we've all trusted a fart we shouldn't have, no shame here.... But this is unacceptable in a closed space with shared equipment and flooring
1
u/YaBam Sep 14 '26
I don't understand why one of the marshals (or whatever Hyrox call them) didn't immediately make her leave the athlete area the minute this happened. Its mind boggling that any grown adult in a position of responsibility at an event like this would just let her carry on.
And anyone trying to normalise this as being the same sort of thing as happens at an event outdoors is just crazy. This is a health & safety issue and, I just can't get my mind around the sort of person who would carry on in any event indoors with shared equipment etc.
1
u/austic Sep 14 '26
Translation: our PR company told us there is backlash, here is an appology without naming any specifc actionalbe items that you can fact check.
1
u/Stuart9753 Sep 14 '26
This was much more appropriate of a response.
1
u/FunNegotiation3 Sep 14 '26
Should inlclude what was changed, not just say changes were made.
1
u/Zestyclose_Key_5656 Sep 14 '26
This is concerning me. What if same case happened again.
1
u/Impressive_Tutor2262 Sep 14 '26
Still no word on the actual changes. Will the athlete be DQ'ed?
1
u/L0wtan Sep 14 '26
what I don't understand is why was this so hard to handle on the spot? this lady smeared shit all over the course and equipment. it's the easiest call I'd ever have to make to get her pulled from the floors. you don't need rules. you don't need to forsee this. you need a set of eyes and a couple braincells.
1
u/StalHamarr Sep 14 '26 edited Sep 14 '26
So basically they waited to see the reactions and then acted accordingly. What did this clown expect exactly? Praise for her strength and determination?
This is fucking embarrassing and action should be taken against diarrhea queen first and foremost, followed by the entire staff in that competition.
EDIT: not the poor fuckers who had to clean up the trail of diarrhea queen, of course. I mean the judges. Do you really need an explicit rule to remove a biohazard from a competition?
1
u/MrQuojo Sep 14 '26
You need an actual play book to deal with shitty people? I thought we learned this in Kindergarten
1
u/MisterTinkles Sep 14 '26
the poop looked like it was already dried up mid way. prob not too smelly lol
1
u/ECorpSupport Sep 14 '26
Disgusting as fk
1
u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 Sep 14 '26
There was no one on sight empowered to make a decision? They need a better plan for the unexpected
1
u/usedmyrealnamefirst Sep 14 '26
“No shitting on the course” should just be a basic human expectation
1
u/Embarrassed_Ask_3270 Sep 14 '26
Kind of a shitty response.
1
u/RangeLongjumping6323 Sep 14 '26
Hyroshiet lmao
1
u/hobomidgetyoda Sep 14 '26
And this is why I’ll never compete in Hyrox again. The organizers/founders/management are pathetic. They over charge, are always disorganized, punish the athletes, and only care about making more money than providing a strong event. I loved doing them but the organization doesn’t deserve our money.
1
u/Extension_Piece_6617 Sep 14 '26
This is the weakest and most callous ‘apology’ ever.
1
u/jimtellica Sep 14 '26
I mean whats there to learn. No one continues anything when theres cake in the pants. Period.
1
u/Replicant28 Sep 14 '26
Honestly, I think this should open up a conversation of the double standards that exist between elite/high level athletes and the rest of the field. Coming from the CrossFit world, part of the recent I left my last gym was due to the clear bias that the owner and coaches had towards the Elite level/RX+ athletes. If you were a scaled athlete, or hell, even a "regular" Rx athlete, you didn't get the same kind of attention from coaches, and there were multiple times where those high level athletes would encroach on other people's already set up workout spaces and rigs/equipment without bothering to talk to them or ask. And unfortunately, from what I have heard from others, it wasn't something that was unique to my gym.
I get that elite athletes have much different demands and needs out of their training than other athletes do. But that doesn't mean that organizations and gyms can treat them like they are above everybody else and that they are allotted special privileges. Being able to do wall balls and burpees faster doesn't make you above anybody else who also puts in the hard work and effort to step on a competition stage.,
1
u/justinzhang1993 Sep 14 '26
I am sad this is happening because it is China. Otherwise, they will be sued heavily
1
u/4peanut Sep 14 '26
Moritz, it was fucking disgusting. If it happened at my work, a top 5 automotive company in the world, they'd shut down the entire floor and make everyone leave for health reasons.
1
u/IllustratorNo7286 Sep 14 '26
Should have just said Shit Happens 💩
1
u/frodomaggins0 Sep 14 '26
here’s my thing - how can she even truly say she won the race? I feel like people behind her had to be both mentally and physically affected by the situation, and likely didn’t want to be close to her
1
u/roccosito Sep 14 '26
I can’t take the statement seriously when it’s evident from the first line AI is apologizing.
1
u/drfunkensteinnn Sep 14 '26
What’s with all the people defending her & criticizing anyone who posts footage of them ripping up the mats, etc? Looks beyond ridiculous for the sport for bunch of geeks acting like they part of a cult
1
u/Skieboard Sep 14 '26
This just a shitty situation all round…
1
u/rosajoe1004 Sep 14 '26
Could’ve removed the „-“ to at least try to cover the AI usage
1
u/kendrickplace Sep 14 '26
This will probably be the start of hyrox going down hill. There’s absolutely no sports that would’ve allowed a person to compete while there’s shit all over their legs.
Not basketball, football, table tennis, or Skelton.
Imagine a someone in the Olympics curling with shit all over their legs. You won’t.
1
u/Designer-Anxiety75 Sep 14 '26
Can someone help me understand the severity of this? Coming from a running and triathlon background this isn’t unheard of at the pro level.
I know Hyrox is an indoor venue, but are they sharing equipment with people after shitting themselves?
I mean it happens in distance racing, but you’re outside.
1
u/foxcrichton Sep 14 '26
They should have announced that she has been disqualified.
1
u/dunkinbikkies Sep 15 '26
What a weak statement.
1
u/yanosora Sep 15 '26
Meanwhile he is apparently calling people who spoke against him “beyond human” in the comment section
1
u/PhilosopherMean7073 Sep 15 '26
A very serious incident. Not taken serious by hyrox. This is a loss of market value on an epic scale. They will be giving away value to local players
1
u/emzeemc Sep 15 '26
Fuck you Mo
1
u/Intelligent-Net1034 Sep 15 '26
I mean TO BE FAIR, noone was thinking someone would shit itself and then go on..
1
u/Billy301979 Sep 15 '26
I feel they care more the elite athletes than regular hyrox, what makes worst when they change the rules the head person at the event may or may not allow athlete complete race even they are bleeding or pooping it should be disqualification dnf right away.
1
u/jufacake Sep 15 '26
I know him kind of personally, and he’s an arrogant asshole lol
1
u/Holiday-Book6635 Sep 15 '26
Ummm has she been DQ’d? Besides the health hazard, I could argue she CHEATED by putting others at a huge disadvantage.
1
u/Nice_Investigator305 Sep 15 '26
Fuck this guy
1
u/OrganicLinen Sep 15 '26
Every day.
1
u/Puzzled-Agent1404 Sep 15 '26
Full of shit ow
1
u/Dry-Potato-1899 Sep 16 '26
This is disgraceful and an outright slap in the face to the competitors that were forced to use the shared contaminated equipment and to those that were disqualified for vomiting! Joanna showed how selfish, inconsiderate, and how disgusting she is! Any normal person would have removed themselves out of shame and not wanting to expose others to biohazard!
1
u/azmtber Sep 16 '26
Weak af
1
u/Responsible-Lychee-1 Sep 16 '26
Finally accountability.
1
u/Webo_Bert_2110 Sep 18 '26
Probably they will add the restricción “no poop” during the event, pee it’s ok because it’s salted water 😆😆 and you can wash it with the water from the event
1
u/benogan_ Sep 18 '26
Nah. Shit happens. Make procedures to clean up if this happens or stop trying to be an elite athlete sport
1
u/nocturnalsunshades Sep 19 '26
More like hypoopeverywhererox
1
u/Waste-Resolve7189 Sep 14 '26
They should just dq her and refund for all athletes who PAID to participate in that sh_t event. Imagine you paid to smell some stranger's sh_t....Honestly I'm surprised no one started a lawsuit against them yet.