The CEO of CrossFit has released a new statement after the unfortunate passing of an athlete during a competition.
On August 8, Lazar Dukic was participating in a CrossFit swimming event at Marine Creek Lake, close to Fort Worth, Texas, when he failed to surface just 100 meters from the finish line.
Disturbing footage showed the Serbian athlete struggling during the swimming portion of the competition, ultimately resulting in him going under the water.
Officials from Fort Worth emergency services reported that the 28-year-old vanished underwater and did not come back up. It took an hour to locate and retrieve Dukic’s body after the alert was sounded.
Initially, the CrossFit Games were paused and thought to be canceled to allow organizers to ‘fully cooperate with authorities.’ However, they will now proceed as planned.
Following the news of his death, the event released a statement: “We are devastated by the passing of Lazar Dukic. Our hearts are with Lazar’s entire family, friends, and fellow athletes.
“Out of respect for the family and in cooperation with the Fort Worth Police Department, we will share updates when possible.”
CrossFit CEO Don Faul has since issued an additional statement on Instagram.
Earlier today (August 11), he mentioned that an independent investigation had begun and defended the decision to continue the games this weekend.
“We are all devastated by what happened on Thursday,” he said “We mourn the loss of Lazar and our hearts ache for his family, friends and fellow athletes.
“The safety of our athletes is our most important responsibility and this tragedy happened on our watch.”
He added: “We have initiated an independent third-party investigation to thoroughly understand the circumstances surrounding the event.
“We will provide transparency around the investigation as it progresses while respecting the privacy and wishes of those directly affected.”
Faul continued to state that the organization was dedicated to making any necessary changes as a result of the investigation.
While addressing the continuation of the games, Faul acknowledged that not everyone agrees with the decision to proceed.
He also noted that continuing the games put the athletes in a difficult position and asked the public to respect their choices on whether to continue or not.
A GoFundMe page has been established for Lazar since his passing. So far, nearly $400,000 has been raised from over 7,000 donations.