Hyrox partners with World Triathlon in Olympic bid

Hyrox has moved closer to fulfilling its ambition of gaining inclusion into the Olympic and Paralympic Games after entering into a partnership with World Triathlon.

The agreement will see 'hybrid racing' become a recognised discipline within World Triathlon, the sport's global governing body.

Hyrox, the fitness craze which combines running with exercise stations, will be contested across three formats - ultimate, fast and ultra - each sanctioned and governed by World Triathlon.

World Triathlon and Hyrox said in a statement that obtaining Olympic and Paralympic status for the discipline was the "ultimate ambition".

World Triathlon president Antonio Arimany said hybrid racing was "a natural evolution for our movement".

He added: "This partnership will not only accelerate the growth of World Triathlon on the global stage, it will open genuine new opportunities for every one of our national federations to grow participation, engage new audiences, and strengthen our sport at every level.

"This is exactly the kind of forward-looking collaboration our members deserve."

Hyrox co-founder Christian Toetzke said: "From the very beginning, our goal was to build a global sport that could earn a place on the world's biggest athletic stage.

"Partnering with World Triathlon is a monumental step toward that vision.

"Hybrid racing is no longer just a global fitness movement, it is officially on the road to the Olympics."

Great Britain's Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee reacted to the news by sharing a poll with his 227,000 followers, who had voted 82% against being in favour of the move after a couple of hours.

Fellow British triathlete Max Stapley commented on the joint announcement on Instagram: "This is crap."

Olympic triathlete Roksana Slupek, of Poland, wrote "the two sports have absolutely nothing in common" and questioned what her sport would gain from the partnership.

Hyrox was founded in 2017, primarily as an indoor discipline in which athletes take part in eight legs consisting of a one-kilometre run followed by a fitness exercise.

The exercises include 1km on a standing ski machine, 50m sled push, 50m sled pull, 80m burpee jumps, 1km row, 200m kettlebell carry, 100m lunges carrying a sandbag, and 100 throws and catches of a medicine ball against a wall.

World championships are held each year, with athletes contesting both singles and doubles races.

Under the agreement with World Triathlon, Hyrox will continue to oversee world, continental and national championships for elite athletes in the 'ultimate' format, which mirrors its existing format.

The additional formats included under the new discipline of hybrid racing - 'fast' and 'ultra' - offer high intensity and extended adaptations.

Only sports governed by recognised international federations which comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competition - as is the case for triathlon - are eligible for inclusion at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.