Anníe Mist Þórisdóttir has withdrawn from this year’s CrossFit Open, citing ethical concerns over safety relating to the handling of a fellow athlete’s tragic death during last year’s Games. She is calling for greater transparency and accountability but respects others’ decisions to compete.
Not competing this year
Icelandic CrossFit athlete Anníe Mist Þórisdóttir has announced she will not participate in this year’s CrossFit Open (the first qualification stage of the annual CrossFit Games), effectively withdrawing from the season’s championship contention.
Her decision stems from ethical concerns regarding athlete safety and the CrossFit organisation’s response to a tragic incident at last year’s Games.
As noted by Vísir, Crossfit athlete Lazar Dukic drowned during the first event of the CrossFit Games last August, with no one coming to his aid. Despite opposition from Dukic’s family, the event organisers decided to continue the competition. Furthermore, the organisation falsely claimed that this decision was made with the family’s consent.
“I cannot support this event”
In a recent documentary published by the YouTube channel Buttery Bros, Anníe stated that she could not participate in the Open this year for “moral reasons.”
“It will be the first year since 2009 […] that I will not participate in the CrossFit season.”
As noted by Vísir, this marks a historic moment, as it will be the first time in 16 years that Anníe skips the Open portion of the competition. She has previously submitted workouts even while pregnant on two occasions.
“I will still do the workouts at my gym […], but I can’t support it,” Anníe stated in the documentary.
A call for transparency and accountability
Wanting to clarify her position, Anníe recorded a separate Instagram video earlier this week explaining the difficult decision in more detail. “This decision has been weighing very heavily on me, and I want to explain why I came to this decision,” Anníe remarked.
“I realise that accidents can happen, but we need to be doing everything we can […] to try to prevent them and […] to have the right safety protocols in place,” she said, adding that It was really hard for her to believe that proper safety measures were in place at the time of Dukic’s fatal accident.
Anníe called for greater transparency and accountability, emphasising that someone must take responsibility for what happened. She also shared that she has often felt fear while competing in the CrossFit Games, having pushed herself to her absolute limits.
“Until now, I always believed we were safe and being looked after. I told myself I wouldn’t die,” she said, urging further changes. However, she does not judge anyone who chooses to compete in this year’s CrossFit season, despite her own decision to withdraw.
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