Sanctional Organizers Step Away from CrossFit Inc.
The past 24 hours have witnessed a massive movement from within the CrossFit community, as athletes, brands and local affiliate owners have sought to distance themselves from CrossFit Inc. in the wake of Founder and CEO Greg Glassman’s scathing response to a nine-year affiliate owner and subsequent tweets related to the murder of George Floyd. Now, Sanctional organizers are following suit in rebuking the company and its leadership.
One big thing: The future of the sport of CrossFit seems to be hanging in the balance. Ten Sanctional organizers, who collectively run 14 Sanctioned events have made statements that they are either breaking with CrossFit or are planning to break with CrossFit pending the direction and leadership within HQ.
Rogue spoke first: Last night, organizers of the Rogue Invitational released a statement on Instagram stating that it did not support Greg Glassman’s statements. “His comments are unacceptable under all conditions,” the post read.
- The post continued, “The community is bigger than one person. The movement is stronger than one person. No one should be expected to tolerate anything that keeps us from moving forward as one.”
- Now what? The Rogue Invitational will remove the Crossfit logo from the 2020 event this weekend and will only sanctioning going forward “with real discussion on the future.”
- Furthermore, “Rogue will work with the CrossFit Games leadership to determine the best path forward. We will fulfill the 2020 season for the athletes and the community. The future is dependent on the direction and leadership within CrossFit HQ.”
Loud and Live Sports, the organizers behind five Sanctionals — Wodapalooza, the West Coast Classic, the Mayan Classic, the Madrid Championship, and the Granite Games — made a strong statement today.
The post in its entirety:
Loud And Live unequivocally condemns the recent comments made by CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman.
As an organization comprised of bonafide members of this community, we strongly stand against racism & those of influence unwilling to stand up for what is right.
Effective immediately, Loud And Live is ending its affiliation with CrossFit.
This is not about one brand. It’s a united community, and there is no room for hate nor division. We feel we have a responsibility to help us all move forward together. United, we will do our part to combat the systematic oppression of the Black community.
Other Sanctional organizers who have released statements either distancing themselves or breaking from CrossFit Inc. include the Filthy 150, the Italian Showdown, the Lowlands Throwdown, the German Throwdown, Strength in Depth, the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge, the French Throwdown and the Atlas Games.