Mayhem Desert Heat Postponed Indefinitely

After weeks-long attempts to secure critical equipment, Mayhem Desert Heat has been postponed indefinitely. The competition, which is in its first year and being ran by CrossFit Mayhem but hosted in the U.A.E., cited significant “supply chain” issues as the reason, specifically the sourcing of equipment which would have hampered their ability to run a successful event. 

• Rory McKernan, Mayhem Director: “This cancelation sucks. However, we are confident that it’s the best decision for the event and the stakeholders. We are deeply saddened for the athletes, who have trained hard and made sacrifices. We will continue to seek out ways to highlight their hard work and reward them for it.”

One big thing: McKernan made it clear that taking care of athletes who have already shelled out for travel are being taken care of. 

• They are working with Ras Al Khaimah to ensure that no athlete incurs any out of pocket expenses as a result of the cancellation. 

What it means for the future of the competition: Still TBD. McKernan made it clear that no decisions would be made until after athletes are refunded, then they will reevaluate the future of the competition. 

The bottom line: The postponement of the event is a blow to athletes who were seeking to make additional money during the offseason as the star-studded line-up was set to compete for a total prize purse over $150,000 with $30,000 going to the first place athlete. It was also another opportunity to expand CrossFit further into less popular areas and offer opportunities for locals to compete in a top-tier event.