As CrossFit continues to deal with the aftermath of ex-CEO Greg Glassman’s racially charged comments, new allegations of sexism and sexual harassment have been made against Glassman and his higher-ups at CrossFit HQ.
In light of these new allegations, and the sentiment that a change in leadership without a change in ownership is simply not enough to address these issues, two more multi-time Games veterans have announced that they will not be competing at the 2020 CrossFit Games.
Veteran CrossFit Games athlete and 2013 CrossFit Games Champion Sam Briggs, known affectionately as “The Engine”, has pushed through a number of injuries and setbacks during her ten years as a competitor. She had to withdraw her invitation to the 2018 CrossFit Regionals due to a broken elbow, and this Summer she is once again removing herself from the competition, this time with “a heavy heart.”
In an Instagram post made today, she wrote, “I found CrossFit in 2009 and instantly fell in love with the training methodology and the community. I dedicated my life to competing and was proud to say I was a CrossFit athlete. I was proud to own a CrossFit affiliate. I’ve stuck around so long because I truly love the sport and meeting such incredible people… it is with such a heavy heart I say that this year I’m out. Until CrossFit has new ownership and I can once again say I’m proud to be called a CrossFit athlete, I will not represent or compete under the brand.”
With her statement, Briggs joins Katrin Davidsdottir, Brooke Wells, Amanda Barnhart, and Dani Speegle in taking a stand against the current state of the CrossFit brand.
In an earlier post made the day after Glassman’s inflammatory tweet, multi-time Games veteran Brent “The Professor” Fikowski said that he and fellow Canadian and four-time Games veteran Patrick Vellner had been “talking a lot.”
On June 7th, he wrote on his Instagram, “We’ve been having difficult conversations about race and how fortunate and privileged we’ve been. We have been trying to do the work on a personal level, having difficult conversations with people around us, educating ourselves and sharing resources.
Pat and I will be continuing to work on ourselves and those who we have been fortunate to touch through our sports careers. I very much hope that Greg can step up and do the same.”
Today, a simple two-sentence post on his Instagram account announced that he would not be competing at the 2020 CrossFit Games.
He wrote “I’ve made the decision to not attend the 2020 CrossFit Games. If you’ve been following the news the last two weeks the reasons are pretty obvious.”
To Fikowski, Briggs, and many others, the response by Glassman and CrossFit HQ is simply not enough.
Featured image: @bicepslikebriggs on Instagram