Written by Emily Beers and Joe Genetin-Pilawa
“The PFAA Board is disappointed with CrossFit’s lack of transparency of their investigation and dissatisfied by their next steps,” began the statement just issued by the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association.
- The response came one week after CrossFit released its “Safety and Procedural Changes After the 2024 CrossFit Games,” which announced the conclusion of the third-party investigation into the death of Lazar Ðukić and the plans to be instituted during the 2025 CrossFit Games season. Notably, CrossFit also announced that they do not intend to reveal the details of the investigation to the public.
One big thing: The PFAA intends to support athletes whether they choose to compete in the 2025 Games or boycott them. (“Veto” is the word the PFAA used.) The PFAA also intends to seek out alternative competition options, stating that it is “engaged with the broader ecosystem of functional fitness competitions to expand opportunities for athletes.”
The State of Play
On August 20, the PFAA made several demands of CrossFit LLC, including that the Director of the CrossFit Games, Dave Castro, “be removed from his position in [CrossFit’s] Sport Team.”
- Two other demands included “an appropriate level of transparency between CrossFit and the PFAA” regarding their third-party investigation into Đukić’s death and for CrossFit to create an independent safety team “to liaise with the PFAA on an ongoing basis.”
The PFAA also told the Morning Chalk Up in August that CrossFit’s response would dictate the next steps it takes.
Most pundits in the community viewed last week’s announcement by CrossFit as a clear rebuke and strong stance against the PFAA’s demands.
We expect to hear more from the PFAA in the near future with more details about how they intend to proceed now.
For now, the PFAA concluded its statement with this:
- “Our demands were made with the hope of guiding the Sport of CrossFit toward a stronger future. While they chose not to meet them, we remain committed to building unity among athletes and finding ways to create meaningful change together. We continue to believe in the huge benefit a healthy and successful elite sport offers the broader CrossFit community.”
- CrossFit Community Looks to Athletes on Social Media, Aims to Connect With Đukić Family
- “He Was There, Then He Was Gone”: Former Lifeguard Gives Eyewitness Account of Lazar Đukić’s Death
- Inside the Decision to Continue the 2024 CrossFit Games Following Lazar Đukić’s Tragic Death
Featured image: Carlos Fleury
