25% of Top CrossFit Athletes Could Skip 2025 Season Altogether, Finds Survey
A quarter of the sport's top athletes may not compete in the 2025 CrossFit Games season. That's the finding of a survey conducted by Mike Halting of barbend.com. The survey highlights athletes' concerns about leadership, recent controversies, and their confidence in the future of the sport.
The Background
Since August, CrossFit athletes have been voicing their concerns about the state of the sport and recent announcements from CrossFit HQ. To get a better understanding of the mood ahead of the 2025 season, Halting sent out a two-part survey.
While one survey targeted the broader CrossFit community, the second focused on those at the top. Halting reached out – mainly via Instagram – to 453 elite CrossFitters, including the top 220 male and 220 female athletes in the 2024 CrossFit Games Worldwide Rankings, as well as individual competitors from the 2023 Games.
The Findings
The survey revealed some alarming trends. Most concerning of all: that 25% of athletes indicated they are "likely" or "very likely" to skip the 2025 season. Many athletes expressed a lack of confidence in CrossFit HQ’s leadership, criticising its decision-making processes and general lack of transparency in major announcements.
Financial barriers were another major point of contention. Reduced prize pools and limited travel compensation have made it more and more difficult for a lot of athletes – particularly those lower down the rankings – to simply compete.
Safety was a big issue, too, with some athletes referencing incidents in the 2024 season – including the tragic passing of Lazar Ðukić in 2024 – that raised questions about the suitability of current protocols. Although the results didn't go into specifics, it's clear that many competitors feel more needs to be done to prioritise athlete wellbeing.
And there were calls for athletes to have more of a say in decision-making. Many expressed frustration over the absence of clear communication surrounding rule changes, event structures, and wider organisational decisions.
The Implications
If 25% of top athletes bow out, the ripple effects could be huge. Reduced athlete participation risks alienating fans, discouraging sponsors, and undermining the competitive integrity of the CrossFit Games.
CrossFit HQ has not yet commented on the findings.
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