Khairy Jamaluddin demands HYROX apologise to other participants after an athlete was allowed to continue competing following a bowel incontinence incident in China.
AN INTERNATIONAL HYROX competition in Beijing has come under scrutiny after an athlete experienced bowel incontinence during the event, with the incident triggering criticism over the organiser’s decision not to immediately remove her from the competition.
HYROX is an indoor fitness competition that combines running with functional workout stations. Athletes complete eight one-kilometre runs, each followed by a different workout station.
Following the incident on Saturday (Sept 12), HYROX China confirmed that the affected equipment had been removed and the venue underwent deep cleaning and disinfection.
In a statement, the organiser said it had “clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place”, but acknowledged that the implementation of its protocols had created “ambiguity” over how the rules should be applied, resulting in public backlash.
The organiser also urged members of the public not to threaten or harm the athlete involved, warning that anyone engaging in such behaviour would be banned from future HYROX events.
The response drew criticism from former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who described it as “trash” and called on the organisers to apologise to athletes who had competed in the Beijing event.
“You should apologise to all athletes who competed in Beijing and give a firm commitment that any athlete that does this again will be immediately removed from the field of play,” he said in a comment.
Following the backlash, HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste addressed the incident directly and acknowledged that the organisation had failed to respond appropriately at the time.
“We made a mistake by not reacting immediately,” he said.
Fürste said HYROX had since taken steps to improve its procedures for dealing with similar incidents, including making immediate changes to its rulebook.
“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again. We learn and try to get better every day,” he said.
