The 2024 CrossFit Games have come and gone, but the hurt and anger over the death of Lazar Đukić is just beginning.
Members of the community have started to speak out and are seeking accountability for the death of one of the best and most beloved athletes in the sport.
It is likely that most individuals, especially those who competed, chose to hold off on making statements or taking a stance on the tragic matter until the close of the competition.
However, several voices in the community have started to come forward and are calling on CrossFit HQ to act in the wake of Đukić’s death.
- They are also denouncing HQ for leaving the decision to compete up to the athletes.
Athletes and More Make Their Voices Heard
Pat Vellner, a veteran of the sport and leader in the community, spoke out during an interview with the Buttery Bros about his dissatisfaction with HQ’s lack of concern over safety.
- “We’ve been shouting for years about safety concerns only to be patted on the head and told we’re just being hysterical and complaining,” Vellner said.
Vellner, holding back tears, added that an accident of this magnitude was only a matter of time.
- “We’ve been pushing athletes in the wrong way. This isn’t war, this is sport, and I feel like we’ve been trying to, for some reason, find the athletes’ breaking point for too long and we found it,” he said.
Finally, Vellner made it clear that he and others plan to keep the problem “front and center and very visible, and we’ll keep doing that for the next while.”
Another important voice in the sport, Annie Thorisdottir, issued a statement on Instagram regarding Đukić’s death, admitting she’s “tried to write this for 3 days now and it’s been with a broken heart.”
- “The sport we all love failed Lazar and his family. I am so sorry Lazar,” Thorisdottir wrote.
One of the more poignant calls to action from the community came from Games veteran Cassidy Lance-McWherter.
She put a statement out on Instagram titled “A Call for Accountability in the Wake of Lazar’s Tragic Death,” where she laid out her reasoning for the demand.
- “Athletes should not be placed in a position where they must choose between their safety and their passion for the sport,” Lance-McWherter wrote. “It would be incredibly difficult for an athlete to step down, especially when they are at their peak.”
She continued by urging CrossFit HQ to “prioritize athlete safety above all else. It is time to ensure that such negligence is not tolerated and that the well-being of every competitor is paramount.”
In a separate perspective on the incident, Gui Malheiros’ wife, Luciana Dal Agno, shared a video on Instagram where she detailed the behind-the-scenes discussions leading up to the decision by HQ to continue the Games competition.
Dal Agno recorded the video in Portuguese and was translated by Google Translate. In her video, she covered a lot of ground, including a glimpse into Thursday afternoon when athletes were brought into a briefing to discuss how to move forward.
- She said the first thing HQ told the athletes was that the competition would move forward, and several of the athletes, including Malheiros, immediately left. He ended up pulling out of the competition later due to these circumstances and the overall emotional toll the death took on him.
What Is CrossFit HQ Saying?
In a video on YouTube and Instagram, CrossFit CEO Don Faul said the company has launched an “independent third-party investigation to thoroughly understand the circumstances surrounding the event.”
- “The safety of our athletes is our most important responsibility and this tragedy happened on our watch,” Faul said.
A visibly exhausted and distraught Faul continued taking accountability for the accident and reassured the community that “Our goal is to enhance our protocols to protect our athletes so that they can safely and confidently compete in the sport that we all love.”
- He continued by acknowledging that putting the decision to compete on the shoulders of the athletes put them in a “very difficult position and we recognize and respect the incredibly personal choices they had to make regarding whether to continue to compete.”
Mitchel Hooper, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man winner, has been vocal about the tragedy and called on HQ to take better care of its athletes.
- “Hopefully this is a turning point for CrossFit, but there’s just a lot of embarrassing things that happened,” Hooper said in a YouTube video.
Separately, in a comment on Faul’s statement, Hooper added: “I’d be more interested to hear what WAS done to try to keep the athletes safe than what wasn’t done. I struggle to find anything that considered athlete safety.”
One Last Thing
More calls to action and statements regarding the way HQ handled the tragedy will likely come out for weeks and maybe even months to come.
One thing that is constant is the CrossFit community and its love and dedication to Đukić and his family.
Their loyalty to the brand, however, is still undetermined.
- Remembering Lazar Đukić: A Tribute
- Athletes Withdraw From 2024 CrossFit Games Following Death of Lazar Đukić
- CrossFit Community Reacts to Lazar Đukić’s Death
- “Thank You, & I’m Sorry”: CrossFit Director of Sport Dave Castro Speaks on Lazar Đukić’s Death
- “You Loved the Sport That Didn’t Love You Back”: Luka Đukić Comments on Brother Lazar’s Death
Featured image: @CrossFitGames / Instagram
