A fitness race franchise has updated its rulebook after an Australian athlete was allowed to complete a competition in Beijing despite soiling herself, triggering widespread backlash over hygiene and safety concerns.

Joanna Wietrzyk, a world record holder, experienced faecal incontinence during the Hyrox event on 12 September but was permitted to continue using communal equipment and track surfaces. She went on to win the race with a time of one hour, one minute and 23 seconds.

Videos and photos showing Wietrzyk competing with soiled legs and shoes went viral on social media, prompting criticism from participants and spectators who raised concerns about contamination risks for other competitors.

“Why didn’t they consider the health of the other competitors and the public?” one user wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Another user accused organisers of “pro-foreigner favouritism”, noting that a foreign athlete had won despite the incident.

Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued a public apology on 15 September, acknowledging the organisation had failed to respond appropriately during the race.

“I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have,” Fürste said in a statement. “Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.”

New medical withdrawal protocol

The organisation has introduced an updated medical withdrawal protocol in its official rulebook, giving race directors authority to remove athletes from competition on medical grounds.

Under the new rules, race directors can withdraw participants if blood, vomit, urine or faeces pose a contamination or welfare risk to the athlete or other competitors. Athletes withdrawn under this protocol will be recorded as did not finish rather than disqualified.

The rule grants officials discretion to evaluate risks in real time rather than requiring automatic withdrawal in every instance.

Hyrox World said existing bio-contaminant and medical procedures had been applied with ambiguity because they were not clearly distinguished between elite competition and mass participation events.

Venue remediation

Organisers in Beijing isolated the affected track lanes and equipment for deep cleaning after the incident. Contaminated equipment was removed and sections of the venue carpet were replaced before competition resumed the following day.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV criticised the incident, saying regulatory flaws “not only harm the participants’ health but also undermine the very foundation of fairness in any competition”.

Hyrox China acknowledged “shortcomings” in regulations that prevented judges from intervening immediately during the competition but did not issue a formal apology.

Anti-harassment measures

The organisation also announced a zero-tolerance policy against harassment following online abuse directed at Wietrzyk after the incident.

Anyone identified as engaging in harassment or issuing threats of violence toward the athlete will be permanently banned from all future Hyrox events, the organisation said.

Hyrox is an indoor fitness race combining treadmill running with strength exercises such as lunges and rowing. Launched in Germany in 2018, the event has grown in popularity worldwide, particularly in China in recent years.