Katrin Davidsdottir severs ties with CrossFit in fallout from founder’s tweets over George Floyd
Two-time CrossFit Games champion Katrin Davidsdottir says she won’t compete in the 2020 contests after the recent controversy involving how the organization’s former CEO and founder Greg Glassman responded to the police killing of George Floyd.
“I am truly ashamed, disappointed & angry by what has been going on for these past days with an organization I dedicate myself to, work hard for & so proudly represent,” the Icelandic athlete crowned “fittest woman on the planet” after winning the 2015 and 2016 titles posted Friday on Instagram.
Glassman was forced to quit Tuesday after a series of controversial tweets referencing Floyd’s death. Already under pressure for CrossFit’s failure to take a public stance on the matter, Glassman took to social media last Saturday to criticize a statement from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation calling racism a public health issue by responding “Floyd-19.”
In a follow-up tweet, Glassman said the health research institute’s coronavirus model “failed,” and he criticized it for modeling a “solution to racism.”
There was a furious response, with Reebok and other partners cutting ties with the fitness brand. Glassman apologized for causing a “rift” in the CrossFit community, but pressure continued to mount.
He was replaced as CEO by Dave Castro, the director of the CrossFit Games, but that change has not been enough to satisfy Davidsdottir. Another leading CrossFit athlete, Brooke Ence, publicly distanced herself this week from Glassman’s comments.
“What we have right now is not a change I can stand by I believe we can and should do better than this,” added Davidsdottir in her Instagram statement.
The 27-year-old Davidsdottir, a former gymnast, is one the branded fitness competitions most high-profile contenders, with 1.8 million followers on Instagram.
