CrossFit’s CEO Don Faul posted a message announcing an independent investigation into the death of Serbian athlete Lazar Đukić.
FORT WORTH, Texas — As the final day of competition began at the 2024 CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, CrossFit’s CEO addressed the death of athlete Lazar Đukić, 28, of Serbia during the first day of competition.
Đukić drowned in the swim portion of the CrossFit Game’s first event. The event was held at Marine Creek Lake, near the Tarrant County College Northwest campus.
In the video statement posted to X, CrossFit CEO Don Faul announced that the organization initiated an independent, third-party investigation into Đukić’s drowning.
“The safety of our athletes is our most important responsibility and this tragedy happened on our watch,” Faul said in the video. “We must understand what happened and ensure we do everything in our power to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He said CrossFit will provide transparency around the investigation while protecting the privacy of people directly involved. The organization’s goal is to update their protocols to better protect the athletes, Faul said.
Faul also addressed CrossFit’s decision to continue competition after Đukić’s death. The contest will end Sunday, Aug. 11.
“We understand that not everyone agrees with our plan to move forward but we are doing the very best we can to navigate this tragic and unprecedented event in a way that best serves our community,” Faul said.
He added that the decision put athletes in a difficult position, and respected their decision to either continue competing or drop out, Faul said. He also asked that the CrossFit community support the athletes competing in Fort Worth, regardless of their decision to drop out or continue the competition.