Hyrox changes rules after athlete soiled herself during competition
The event has drawn backlash as many criticised the health hazard posed by the athlete competing with excrement down her legs.
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Global indoor fitness race organisation Hyrox has changed its rules after a woman soiled herself during the event, but continued using the shared equipment with excrement all over her legs.
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Hyrox women's world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk soiled herself during the event in Beijing on Saturday but was controversially allowed to continue and win the race.
Many people have criticised the move by the organisers to allow her to continue, saying it posed a health risk to other competitors and viewers in the building.
With the race using shared equipment and surfaces, thousands online have branded the incident "disgusting" and "selfish".
Moritz Fuerste, the German co-founder of the popular fitness-racing hybrid, has now apologised to everyone "directly or indirectly" affected by last weekend's incident.
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"Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race," the former field hockey Olympic champion said in a statement on social media.
"Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rulebook changes immediately," he said.
"As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again."
Hamburg-based Hyrox's standardised indoor fitness race, combining running and functional workouts, has grown rapidly from a niche fitness challenge into a global phenomenon since it was founded in 2017.
Following the backlash, Hyrox China said the area was decontaminated after the race finished.
"After the incident, the organising committee immediately closed off and isolated the affected area and track, and completed comprehensive disinfection," they said.
"Relevant equipment was removed from the venue, and waste was disposed of in accordance with municipal waste-management standards."
In an Instagram post shared on Monday, Hyrox showed their support for the athlete and warned people against sending her abuse.
An official statement said: “As our sport continues to evolve, we are encountering new and increasingly complex situations that challenge us and where additional clarity is needed. This happened this weekend in China.
“We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible. That courage, resilience and refusal to give in are precisely what makes elite athletes so extraordinary.
"Our role is to give them the right framework and the right boundaries within which they can compete, perform and express themselves at their very best.”
The statement added: "Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves. They are the people who put themselves on the line.
"There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete… Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events."