CrossFit Announces New Safety Commitments and Event Protocol Enhancements for 2026

CrossFit published a formal update titled “Continuing Our Commitment to Safety Ahead of the 2026 CrossFit Games Season” and outlined eight major operational and governance changes implemented after the drowning of competitor Lazar Ðukić during the 2024 Games in Fort Worth, TX. The company has appointed a senior safety leader, formed a Safety Advisory Board, embedded that board into event testing and rehearsals, increased emergency rehearsals, improved communications, expanded mental health support, engaged an Athlete Council, and moved away from open-water swims in favor of controlled environments.

CrossFit named a head of safety in April as part of the leadership changes, and the Safety Advisory Board is presented on CrossFit’s site as “an independent group that brings an expert perspective on the highest levels of safety standards.” The board’s stated objectives are Strategic Safety Guidance, Updated Safety Protocols, Safety Best Practices, and Athlete Advocacy. The published member list in the supplied material includes Allison Brager, Ph.D., identified with the United States Army and CF-L1 | Orchard Valley CrossFit, and Mark Ritchie, Ph.D., whose CrossFit bio lists him as owner and senior coach of CrossFit Chiang Mai / CFCNX, Executive Director of the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute, founder of Thailand’s first CrossFit affiliate (2010), and an expert in complex risk management and expedition programming.

Operational changes built into event planning include full on-site rehearsals that bring together judges, medical staff, event operations personnel, and members of an athlete demonstration team to “simulate a realistic, game-time scenario.” CrossFit also states, “We’ve also embedded a member of the Safety Advisory Board into our on-site event testing protocols to enhance oversight and identify potential risks.” The organization says it will continue to “run pre-event rehearsals and strengthen our protocols to ensure every team member is fully prepared to respond in a coordinated and efficient manner in the event of an incident.”

Athlete-facing measures include in-person briefings before each event and written briefing materials “to improve retention and reference,” plus increased radio coverage across key personnel to tighten communication during competition. For events described as off-site and outdoors — specifically referred to as Event 1 in the materials — CrossFit says it provided athletes with “specific preparation guidance, outlining both the measures we’ve taken to ensure their safety and the steps they could take to prepare effectively.”

The update also describes engagement with the CrossFit Athlete Council; CrossFit HQ has met with the council “on multiple occasions” to discuss competition safety, season structure, equipment, and drug-testing policies, and a contact link for the Athlete Council is listed for competitors. Mental health support and expanded medical and athlete services involvement are cited as additional enhancements; separate reporting named the appointment of Wendy Guthrie as head of safety in April and a suspension of open-water swimming in favor of controlled environments, items that have not been reproduced in CrossFit’s published board materials included in the supplied notes.

CrossFit framed the package of changes as part of a longer effort to raise safety standards after the 2024 tragedy, and the organization’s public materials encourage ongoing transparency and athlete advocacy through the newly formalized Safety Advisory Board and Athlete Council. As CrossFit moves toward the 2026 season, athletes will see embedded advisory oversight, mandatory pre-event rehearsals, expanded communications, and explicit briefings at events that include off-site elements.