Katrin Davidsdottir boycotts CrossFit over CEO scandal – post-George Floyd tweet leadership change not enough

Katrin Davidsdottir says Greg Glassman standing down as CEO is not enough after controversial George Floyd and Coronavirus tweet as he still owns CrossFit

CrossFit Games

Mark Agnew

Published: 2:00pm, 14 Jun 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

Katrin Davidsdottir has turned her back on CrossFit, following the scandal that saw founder Greg Glassman stand down as CEO.

The change was purely cosmetic, in Davidsdottir’s opinion, as Glassman still owns CrossFit.

“I AM OUT,” the two-time champion of the CrossFit Games posted on Instagram on Saturday. “I will not be competing in the 2020 CF [CrossFit] Games. And until further changes have been met, I will not represent this sport.”

Last week, Glassman tweeted “It’s FLOYD-19”, referring to George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, and the Covid-19 pandemic. He was replying to a tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation about racism being a public health issue.

He went on to explain: “Your failed model quarantined us and now you're going to model a solution to racism? George Floyd's brutal murder sparked riots nationally. Quarantine alone is “accompanied in every age and under all political regimes by an undercurrent of suspicion, distrust, and riots.” Thanks!”

Sponsors, athletes and gyms cancelled their affiliations to CrossFit while others threatened to unless there was a change in leadership. Glassman posted a “pathetic” apology, saying the tweet was “not racist”. Eventually, he stood down as CEO to be replaced by Dave Castro.

Davidsdottir ‘disappointed’ with CrossFit’s post-George Floyd tweet changes

But Davidsdottir was not satisfied. She posted on Instagram earlier in the week, saying she was “disappointed” and “what we have right now is not a change I can stand by” because Glassman still owns CrossFit.

Castro has promised to change the culture at CrossFit, and the company posted an apology. Part of the apology asked critics of Glassman to judge him fairly, taking into account his work in the CrossFit community and not just his tweet.

The apology was soon followed by news of a leaked Zoom called, that recorded Glassman spouting conspiracy theories about Floyd and the coronavirus, asking why he should mourn for Floyd other than it being “the white thing to do”.

Former CrossFit CEO recorded saying ‘We’re not mourning for George Floyd’

Now Davidsdottir has boycotted all CrossFit events.

“I want it to be HEARD that this is not what WE, the community, stand for,” she wrote. “These actions of one man (& those who idly sat by & watched this happen) have trainted OUR sport & OUR community. We do not represent this.”

“My moral compass and values I stand for make it an easy decision for me to make: I AM OUT,” Davidsdottir wrote. “The only way I see forward is for a blank slate. Greg [Glassman] and those who stood by while this happened cannot be a part of [CrossFit].”

This weekend, Davidsdottir is competing at the Rogue Invitational. The competition is CrossFit in all but name, having dropped the brand from the Invitational following the tweet.

“It’s time to take a mental break & do what I love most: work. out. Pretty damn fast with my friends,” Davidsdottir posted separately. “[Rogue Invitational} is NOT under the [CrossFit] umbrella & therefore I am still competing.”

Post