THE 2024 GAMES – THE BACKSTORY On Wednesday last week I traveled to Ft Worth, Texas for the CrossFit Games.. I was fortunate to be invited by CrossFit to participate in Affiliate Council events. On Thursday I woke up early and pulled up YouTube to watch the start of the Run/Swim workout, the first event of the CrossFit Games: a 3.5 mile run and 800m swim. It was 80 degrees and breezy. About 45 minutes later, I arrived at the Arena with other affiliate council members and was told that Lazar Ducik was missing after the swim. Almost everyone in the vicinity of the arena was wide-eyed and visibly distraught. Shortly after finding our seating, it was announced online that Lazar had died. An announcement was made in the arena that the remaining events of the day were canceled and the venue was closing. Everyone was gut-punched. Many people were openly crying and hugging one-another. It was the saddest day in CrossFit Games history.
Communicate First: When it was confirmed that Lazar died, the CEO of CrossFit, Don Faul, and the Games Director, Dave Castro met with Lazar’s parents and brother. Next, they called an athlete meeting in order to gauge their interest in continuing to participate in the Games while honoring Lazar. Potential solutions included, canceling the event entirely, converting the event to an exhibition, or moving forward as a competition. Some athletes were vocal about canceling the Games. Many others were quiet and undecided. A confidential survey was distributed and 78% of the athletes voted to move forward with the Games as a competition. Lazar’s parents and brother, Luka, also encouraged CrossFit to continue with the weekend events. Don, Dave and the CFG team decided to continue. Incidentally, Dave Castro also offered all of the athletes the ability to participate as an exhibition athlete or to sit out some of the events and join later. Some athletes, including last year’s champions, Jeff Adler and Laura Horvath, elected to not participate. Approximately 10 men, 10 women and 2 teams, including Lazar’s brother, eventually withdrew from the competition.
HQ Response: After the decision was made to move forward, Don & Dave held onsite meetings with employees, volunteers and the athletes to inform them of the decision, the reasons for the decision and answer any questions people had about the decision and the incident. I was present for the staff meeting and it was very emotional. Don Faul was visibly distraught, very emotional and incredibly humble. He informed us that he had already contracted an independent investigator to work with the authorities, CrossFit and Lazar’s family to discover all of the details that contributed to Lazar’s death, and the failure to save him when he was in distress. Don pledged to share the results of the investigation when completed. He answered every question and accusation thoughtfully with genuine empathy. We will know more soon in the coming days.
Community Heals: With the closing of all of the venues on Thursday – my fellow affiliate owners and many of the fans were like lost sheep, trying to figure out where to go to be with our CrossFit family. Most people returned to their hotels or Airbnbs and scrolled their phones looking for updates and answers. Fortunately, a few of the sponsor partners, especially GoRuck, organized gatherings at local entertainment venues. We attended the GoRuck event on Thursday evening with other affiliate owners and fans. It was great to be in-person with the CrossFit community where we shared our grief and our experiences. It felt great to be among our CrossFit friends. When events re-started on Friday, the mood was somber, but quickly changed to appreciation and excitement as heats progressed. Frankly, it was exactly what the onsite CrossFit community needed and I am grateful.
Social Media Sucks: Unfortunately, social media has not been kind to the CrossFit Games, Dave Castro, Don Faul and CrossFit. Many people demanded that the Games cancel all remaining events for the weekend. Some fans and athletes have accused CrossFit of gross negligence with an interest only in profits. Several athletes who decided to participate and post about their experience – including a few of Lazar’s friends – were attacked online and accused of being selfish or tone deaf. Social media vitriol is the very ugly side of CrossFit and is not in any way representative of the Diablo community nor the CrossFit community as a whole. Don and Dave and their team have been incredibly humble and transparent with the athletes and staff. They are fully committed to providing a comprehensive, independent review of what transpired Thursday morning. While it’s easy to look at the videos online and make assumptions about what happened, the reality of the moment is often different. Jumping to conclusions and criticizing CrossFit online is akin to burning down your house to kill a mouse. And, the affiliates live in that house.
Canceling Punishes Everyone: The Games had to go forward.. for the future of the Games and for CrossFit. The Games is an expansive event that creates income and jobs for the venue, the venue employees, the vendors, the sponsors, the media companies, local hotels and restaurants. Thousands of fans traveled from all around the globe to watch their favorite athletes compete. Canceling the Games would have sent everyone home – athletes, fans, employees and volunteers – many without pay or revenue. The toll would have been catastrophic for many months – including lawsuits at several levels. In my opinion, if the Games were canceled, they would likely never return which would be a disastrous outcome for athletes, affiliates, the CrossFit community and fans.
More To Come: I am very confident that Don Faul and his team will follow through with their commitment to provide clarity on Lazar’s tragic death and the circumstances that surround the event. And, if change is warranted, I know that it will happen swiftly – no matter how severe.
What Can We Do? Finally, I’d like to ask for your help for CrossFit and especially for Lazar’s family. For CrossFit, I need your help to put an end to the hate and negativity online. CrossFit is an incredible methodology that positively impacts so many lives, especially at the affiliate level. I encourage everyone who has benefitted from CrossFit in any way to avoid the negative and support the positive. Persistent negative and antagonistic content directed at CrossFit, CrossFit Games, the athletes and management is tearing away at the foundation of our methodology, business and sport. I am unfollowing and unsubscribing when I see it. For Lazar’s family, a GoFundMe has been set up that has raised almost $500k! This is the power of the amazing CrossFit community. If you’d like to make a contribution, here is the link.
Thank you very much for you support of CrossFit and our community at Diablo. |
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