Dave Castro Issues Apology to Ðukić Family

September 9th, 2024

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

  • Late last week, Dave Castro issued a public apology to the Ðukić family. Get the details below.

  • Looking to hire new coaches for your affiliate? Learn why developing coaching from within your community is the best plan.

  • On Friday, CrossFit CEO Don Faul emailed athletes, coaches, and agents in the first official from HQ since the Games. Learn more.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“This decision [to continue the 2024 CrossFit Games] was made by CrossFit and I never intended to put the weight of this decision on Luka, the Đukić family or our CrossFit athletes.” - Director of Sport for CrossFit, Dave Castro via Instagram

CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: Scott Freymond

Dave Castro Issues Public Apology to the Đukić Family: “I Absolutely Made a Mistake”

CrossFit’s Director of Sport, Dave Castro, has publicly apologized to the Đukić family after Luka Đukić issued a statement on Thursday regarding his brother Lazar’s death at the 2024 CrossFit Games. 

Remind me: In his statement released on Sept. 5, Luka Đukić revealed that following his brother’s death at the Games, Castro approached him about continuing the competition as a tribute to Lazar.

  • “‘I don’t care,’” Luka replied, according to his post, “‘I don’t think I am thinking clearly so this decision should not be up to me.’” 

According to Luka, Castro reportedly replied: “’It’s not up to you anyways.’”

Despite this, Luka wrote that Castro later presented the decision to continue the Games as the “wish of the family.” 

The details: Castro’s public apology focused on the decision to continue the Games and how he portrayed the Đukić family in his statements both to the athletes assembled at Dickies Arena later that day on Aug. 8 and on the CrossFit Games broadcast the next morning.

The broadcast opened with a few words from commentator Chase Ingraham and then an interview between sideline reporter Mike Arsenault and Castro.

  • At approximately 3:45 into the broadcast, Castro said: “Went and saw Luka, had a conversation with him and he gave his blessing. He said he supported the idea of the event continuing forward.”  

In the apology, Castro wrote, “I should never have said that the decision to continue the CrossFit Games in August was ‘blessed’ by their family.” 

He went on to take responsibility for the decision to continue the 2024 CrossFit Games.

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SPEED READS

🦣 🏎️ Constantly Varied Conversations x Known & Knowable: Tune in today, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET as John Wooley, host of Constantly Varied Conversations and the creator behind Wooley Memeth talks with Mike Halpin from Known & Knowable about the timeline of Event 1: “Lake Day” he researched and published.

💛 💪 “My Story of the CrossFit Games 2024”: Three-time Games athlete from Germany, Moritz Fiebig, was in the process of documenting his Games season when the unthinkable happened in Event 1. Check out his recounting of the events that followed.

😎🌴 TYR Wodapalooza Miami is Back: The team at Loud and Live announced dates for the annual fitness festival and online qualifier yesterday.

  • TYR WZA Online Challenge & Qualifier

    • Week 1: October 17-21, 2024

    • Week 2: October 24-28, 2024

    • Week 3: October 31-November 4, 2024

  • TYR Wodapalooza Miami 2025

    • January 23-26, 2025

🚴 🚴 Rogue Introduces “The Milo”: Named for the Milo-Grogan neighborhood in Columbus, OH, where its headquarters are located, Rogue Fitness has introduced a new single-speed commuter bike.

  • In its launch announcement, Rogue noted the bike’s American-made steel frame and concluded, “In an era where most bikes are built overseas, The Milo stands out.”

💪📋 Rogue Invitational Update — “The Q”: Athletes can compete in this online qualifier to earn a spot in the Individual competition at the 2024 Rogue Invitational. Registration is open and the competition ends on September 9. Learn more here.

ICYMI: Luka Đukić issued a public statement via Instagram yesterday recounting the events leading up to and after his brother, Lazar Đukić’s death at the 2024 CrossFit Games. Read the details.

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CROSSFIT GAMES

Credit: Carlos Fleury

​​Don Faul Emails Athletes, Coaches, Agents on Investigation, Mental Health Support and the Future of the Sport — 3 Key Takeaways

On Friday, Sept. 6, CrossFit CEO Don Faul sent an email to athletes, coaches, and agents regarding Lazar Đukić’s death during the 2024 CrossFit Games. The email comes on the heels of Luka Đukić’s statement on Instagram, where he was critical of CrossFit’s handling of the tragedy.

  • “I am writing to share several updates with our community,” Faul began the email. “Before doing so, I want to acknowledge the emotional post shared by Lazar’s brother Luka yesterday. While nothing can reverse the tragedy of his passing, we continue to work as quickly as we can on several fronts to understand the facts.“

The Morning Chalk Up obtained Faul’s email, and we have detailed three important takeaways below.

3 Key Takeaways From Don Faul’s Email 

1. Third-Party Investigation Update

The investigation to identify the facts and circumstances surrounding Đukić’s death is “underway,” Faul wrote.

  • “We encourage any individuals that were present at the Games and who desire to speak with the investigator about the swim and individual Event 1 to do so; we will be following up directly with instructions on how to reach the investigator. We thank those of you who have already come forward to help with this process,” he added.

2. Personal Meetings Are Underway

Faul also wrote that in the last three weeks, he has “personally met with many of our athletes and other members of the community.”

  • “These conversations have helped me better understand issues that are top-of-mind and the different points of view that exist,” he continued. He added that he will continue these one-on-one conversations in the coming weeks to determine the future of the sport.

More specifically, Faul identified three key themes he intends to continue to figure out through these conversations: 

  • “How we manage the Sport season to best support all of our athletes and the broader CrossFit community.”

  • “How we gather input, make decisions, communicate and support athletes throughout the Sport season.”

  • “The potential evolution of Sport and how it can best support the CrossFit community in the future.”

He concluded: “Collecting this feedback will take time, but it’s important to ensure we hear from each important group before we make any changes. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks.”

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