Earlier today, Armen Hammer shared a post on his Instagram page that revealed the breaking news that the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games would again be delayed until at least September 14th.
Just eight days ago, CrossFit HQ announced that the earliest date for the 2020 CrossFit Games would be August 17th due to “travel restrictions and circumstances beyond [their] control”. However, they did announce that they would follow up that announcement this week with more information.
According to his post, Hammer gathered the information regarding this additional postponement from participating athletes who had received an update.
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Although he did not mention the dates specifically, acting CEO Dave Castro did confirm that athletes qualified for the Games were informed of “new dates” on a call that included Eric Roza in a tweet:
Great call with the athletes who qualified to the games this year. Talked about new dates and they heard from @RozaEric #crossfitgames #crossfit @CrossFitGames @crossfit
— Dave Castro (@thedavecastro) June 25, 2020
This string of scheduling delays comes amidst a turbulent time for CrossFit, Inc. which was recently purchased by Eric Roza, the former CEO of data and analytics company Datalogix. The purchase came following backlash against the founder of CrossFit Greg Glassman for comments made regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and allegations of fostering a sexist company culture.
Castro held an interview with Roza via a live Zoom call yesterday to discuss the new CEO’s vision and non-negotiable values for realigning CrossFit’s brand with the culture it espouses.
Roza will take over as CEO once the deal is completed in the coming weeks.
With the change in leadership at CrossFit HQ, it is still uncertain if athletes who previously spoke out against Glassman and withdrew from the Games will reconsider. Some major names who have said they will not compete are Sam Briggs, Brent Fitkowski, Brooke Wells, Katrin Davidsdottir, Amanda Barnhart, Noah Ohlsen, Chandler Smith, and even 3-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth™ Tia-Clair Toomey was unsure if she’d participate.
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Ohlsen posted to his Instagram yesterday saying:
“midst the recent changes, my decision to be OUT on competing for an organization that I’m not proud to represent hangs in the balance. While I’m feeling hopeful, time will tell if they’re changes worth celebrating.”
Feature image from Noah Ohlsen’s Instagram page: @nohlsen
