Will a death at the CrossFit Games change the sport?

The CrossFit community is attempting to come to terms with the death of one of their competitors as questions swirl over the future of the sport. The competitor, 28-year-old Serbian CrossFitter Lazar Dukic, drowned on Aug. 8 during the 800-meter swim portion of the CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, Texas. Dukic is seen in a video of the incident struggling to stay afloat, and despite lifeguards patrolling the immediate area, he eventually dips under the water and doesn't resurface.

Followers of the fitness regimen were "devastated by the passing of Lazar Dukic. Our hearts are with Lazar's entire family, friends, and fellow athletes," the CrossFit Games said in a statement. The games continued as scheduled, but in the aftermath of Dukic's death, many are wondering whether CrossFit is in need of major changes.

What did the commentators say?

While CrossFit classes are available to everyone, the CrossFit Games is a major competition that "attracts global athletes widely regarded as being among the fittest people in the world," Emma Tucker and Joe Sutton said at CNN. Beyond this, "extensive planning is involved with every CrossFit Games competition, including a documented safety plan with personnel on-site throughout the event," CrossFit CEO Don Faul said in a statement.

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However, Dukic's death has "raised many concerns, some longstanding, about the safety of CrossFit as both a workout regimen and a high-level athletic competition," said Calum Marsh at The New York Times. The "ostensible purpose of the CrossFit Games is to test the fittest on earth by challenging them to conquer 'the unknown and the unknowable,'" and these challenges include "heightened versions of common CrossFit movements, such as heavy barbell snatches or bar muscle-ups, as well as more unusual tasks, such as leaping over hay bales, swinging a sledgehammer or tossing a medicine ball in a sit-up."

But "some top CrossFit athletes have said that the Games often push competitors too far, exceeding what's necessary to test fitness," said Marsh, and "questions about the safety of the competition quickly resurfaced after Mr. Dukic's death." This includes people who had issues with the fact that the event was held in the extreme heat of Texas in August, while "others wondered whether enough lifeguards and safety personnel had been on the scene."

It is a "tale as old as time in many sports, where those that hold the power and organize the events treat athletes as disposable," CrossFit athlete Brent Fikowski said at Men's Health. More "must be done to change the cultural, strategic direction of the sport, and that is very important." It "cannot just be, 'Hey, these are the three demands,' and they abide by them." Instead, the push for additional safety is "going to be part of a continued effort to force for some very large change in the coming weeks and months," Fikowski said. CrossFit doesn't "need to hurt us or put us through more than is necessary to sort us from first to last," and athletes "don't need to do 10,000 reps when 1,000 reps would be appropriate."

What next?

The Professional Fitness Athletes' Association (PFAA), an advocacy group for CrossFit athletes, is among the organizations calling for change, and has published a letter citing three demands for CrossFit to abide by. This includes requesting that CrossFit "create an independent safety team to liaise with the PFAA on an ongoing basis," as well as requiring an "appropriate level of transparency" during CrossFit's investigation of Dukic's death. The group is also demanding the resignation of CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro from the Games' Sport Team.

CrossFit CEO Don Faul will "continue to speak directly with the broader athlete population, including the PFAA, as well as coaches and other members of the community to ensure we understand their perspectives and how we can work together to build greater trust and safety for the future of our sport," a CrossFit spokesperson said to Men's Health. In terms of amateur CrossFit classes, "nothing has changed," said Women's Health, but it is "important for the everyday gym-goer to realize that they could get hurt when they push hard in workouts," Albert Matheny, RD, a co-founder of the SoHo Strength Lab, said to the outlet.