Hyrox has introduced an immediate rule change after extraordinary scenes at an event in Beijing sparked a major debate around athlete welfare, hygiene and race organisation.
An Australian athlete competing in the Pro Women’s race at the National Speed Skating Oval on Saturday lost control of her bowels during the competition but continued racing, per the Independent.
Footage subsequently circulated online showing the Melbourne-based athlete completing the event with faecal matter visible on her legs, including while using equipment shared with other competitors.
She went on to finish the race in 1 hour, 1 minute and 23 seconds and claim victory.
The incident prompted a significant backlash, with questions raised over why organisers had not intervened during the race.
Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste has since apologised to “everyone directly or indirectly affected” and acknowledged that the situation should have been handled differently.
“Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents and I did not,” he said in a statement posted on Instagram.
Fürste confirmed that the organisation had begun “ improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately”.
“As of this moment, there’re new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again. We learn and try to get better everyday.”
Under the revised rules, a race director can now withdraw a competitor on medical grounds when their “blood, vomit, urine, or faeces poses a welfare or contamination risk to the racer or to other racers”.
Previously, Hyrox rules included penalties for “spitting, nostril clearing, littering, and water abuse”, while organisers could remove or disqualify competitors whose actions endangered others or breached event regulations.
Hyrox China said affected sections of the Beijing venue were dealt with following the incident, saying it had “immediately closed and isolated the affected areas and race lanes after the incident, thoroughly disinfected them and removed affected equipment”.
The venue’s carpets were also set to be replaced before the entire site underwent a deep clean.
Hyrox World, meanwhile, stressed that criticism should not be aimed at the competitor, saying “courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary” and that frustration should “never be directed towards the athletes themselves”.
It also warned that anyone responsible for violent language towards the athlete would be permanently banned from Hyrox events.
Featured image credit: Jonathan Borba / Pexels
