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"Our biggest concern is that they're not just here to participate. They're here to take over."
British triathlete Max Stapley found out about the news on Instagram. At the end of October, World Triathlon (the international regulatory body for triathlon) announced its partnership with Hyrox, the fitness craze that combines running with exercise breaks.
The agreement made Hyrox a sport recognized by World Triathlon. Now regulated by a recognized international federation, Hyrox can be included in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
There is no more time for inclusion in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, United States. But is there room for both triathlon and hybrid running to be present in future Olympics? Or will one replace the other?
Triathlon has been present at the Olympic Games since 2000 in Sydney, Australia, and has established professional circuits.
Athletes who compete in triathlon question whether they will reap any benefits from this partnership or whether it could even put an end to the sport.
'We were kind of taken by surprise'
Stapley spoke to BBC Sport from a training camp in Thailand. He was having dinner with friends when his cell phone started receiving notifications about the proposals and reactions to the news.
"My reaction was 'Wait a minute, what is that?'" Stapley said. "We didn't even get advance notification, we found out through Instagram."
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The post said: "Hyrox and World Triathlon are officially introducing 'Hybrid Racing' as a new discipline in the World Triathlon family."
Sophie Evans was part of the English mixed relay team that won, in 2022, the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (the British Commonwealth of Nations) in Birmingham, England. She claims to have been "surprised" to receive the news that way.
"I'm actually not against Hyrox being included in World Triathlon," she says. "It's more that we were taken by surprise."
Stapley accuses World Triathlon of not caring about its athletes. He did not receive any communication from the supervisory body for the sport he plays, neither before nor after the announcement.
"They have no respect for us," he said. "They didn't even contact us, asking, 'Hey, do you guys really care about this or what do you think?'"
In response, a World Triathlon spokesperson told BBC Sport that "World Triathlon's executive committee has approved the partnership. The committee includes representatives from the World Triathlon Athletes' Committee, elected by their peers."
"Athlete representatives participate in all executive committee discussions and their voice is always heard. The announcement was communicated using the same procedures adopted for all World Triathlon publications," according to the organization.
'Attack on our own existence'
World Triathlon says the partnership was created "for the benefit of the entire World Triathlon movement", bringing new opportunities to engage athletes and the public and a more robust platform for the growth of triathlon and multisport, from grassroots to elite.
The question for athletes is: how?
Polish athlete and European champion Roksana Slupek stated that she is "not against the idea", but would like to have more information about it.
"What's the benefit for us, for triathlon? It's nothing against Hyrox," said Slupek.
But Stapley calls the move an "attack on our very existence." His fear is that World Triathlon may focus attention and resources on Hyrox's Olympic ambitions, to the detriment of its own sport.
"How does Hyrox make triathlon grow? On the contrary, they killed triathlon", according to him.
Stapley also suggests that brands would give preference to Hyrox athletes before they possibly appear at the Olympic Games.
“Sponsorships have decreased because there is no visibility on TV, you have to pay to see us compete,” he explains.
"We are triathletes who do short distance, which is the Olympic distance, and we train our whole lives for this."
"[At Hyrox], there is no swimming, there is no cycling and it is held indoors. It has nothing to do [with triathlon]", according to Stapley.
"It feels like our sport is over. 'Don't worry, come with us, use our structure, use our access to the International Olympic Committee and maybe take our space.'"
“We have the opportunity to win medals in Los Angeles [at the 2028 Olympic Games], but will we go further?” he asks.
Evans recalls that triathlon is an "established" Olympic sport that has offered high-quality racing since its inclusion in the Olympic Games 26 years ago. But this new partnership brought a "level of uncertainty", according to her.
"Much of the resistance came from the athletes because we don't know" what is happening, highlighted the athlete.
A spokesperson for World Triathlon told the BBC that it continues to "increase its focus and involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic families."
The entity is in the "planning phase" for the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia, and highlights that "triathlon is and will continue to be at the center of everything we do".
BBC Sport asked Hyrox for comment, who referred us to statements published by World Triathlon.
Can triathlon and hybrid running exist simultaneously?
British athlete Sam Dickinson was a bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, as part of the British team's relay quartet. He understands why the change makes sense, but asks for greater clarity on the matter.
Hygrox “tries to keep people active not from the elite side, but from the participation side,” Dickinson told BBC Sport. “So it really makes sense that as a multisport it would be governed by World Triathlon.”
"But we're just getting started, we don't have any basic details about exactly what's going on."
This is where the root of the problem lies: a lack of clarity, which has fueled speculation about what the future of the sport holds.
World Triathlon already has other disciplines under its jurisdiction, such as duathlon and aquathlon.
BBC Sport has learned that 'Fitness Racing' was included as a discipline for the first time in the World Triathlon Constitution in October 2025. The measure had the support of the majority of the organization's national federations.
A World Triathlon spokesperson highlighted that the partnership provides opportunities to "reach new audiences" through collaboration with global partners.
Created in 2017, Hyrox has been rapidly growing in popularity.
In total, 1.5 million athletes played the sport in the 2025-2026 season, compared to 650 thousand in the previous year. And projections indicate that participation should surpass the mark of two million athletes in the current season.
The British triathlon federation, British Triathlon, affiliated with the international body, told the BBC that it recognizes "World Triathlon's work to grow, develop and strengthen the sport of triathlon, multisport and its community", but awaits information on the "operational, administrative and commercial structure" of the partnership.
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