A HYROX fitness competition in China is facing criticism for allowing its winner to keep competing despite suffering from diarrhea throughout the event.
Australian competitor Joanna Wietrzyk won the event in Beijing, China, over the weekend, but a persistent stream of diarrhea was clearly seen running down her legs as she competed, the New York Post reports.
HYROX is an indoor fitness competition that includes 8 KM of running, 8 workout stations, and various exercises. The fitness competition was first held in 2018, in Hamburg, Germany.
Wietrzyk defiantly posted to her social media, writing, “go hard or go home they say… A win is a win.”
But the event is now facing backlash for allowing Wietrzyk to keep competing and for contaminating the track and equipment she had to use, soiling it for other athletes.
Chinese event officials said they addressed the problem quickly during the competition by cordoning off the areas where Wietrzyk competed, replacing workout equipment, and later replacing carpeting and other more permanent infrastructure after the event.
Hyrox officials posted a statement about the “increasingly complex situations” it has faced at competitions.
“We ask our athletes to push themselves to the highest levels. At times, they will go beyond what even we thought was possible,” an Instagram message reads.
“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.”
“HYROX has clear biocontamination and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood,” they continued.
“We recognize that this can understandably lead to frustration, questions, and strong views within our community. Those concerns are legitimate and, as organizers, we must be prepared to hear them, examine what happened and take responsibility for continuing to improve. And we will,” they concluded.
Still, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fuerste chimed in over the controversy and told followers that it was a “mistake” to allow Wietrzy to continue competing despite suffering from fecal incontinence.
“I apologize to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have,” Fuerste wrote on Instagram.
He also said that new rules are being added to Hyrox competitions to prevent this in the future.
“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again,” he wrote.
Diarrhea is common in top endurance athletes such as runners due to several factors, including reactions to ingestion of foods or substances to aid performance, dehydration, and the constant physical strain on the organs during running, lifting, or other sustained heavy exertions.
Still, many on social media were disgusted by the situation and slammed Hyrox for letting Wietrzyk keep competing despite her condition.
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