Dave Castro, General Manager of Sport for CrossFit, has responded to Luka Dukic’s latest post, where he broke his silence regarding his brother's death during the 2024 CrossFit Games in the first event of the competition.

In Luka’s post, he describes in detail the last moments his brother Lazar experienced, stating that he and his brother even devised a strategy for the run and swim test of Event 1. The plan was for him to go behind his brother, and when he reached the finish line, he couldn’t find him. Dave Castro had responded by saying that his chip had marked him as finished, something that did not happen.

Luka also expressed deep dissatisfaction with how CrossFit and Dave handled the continuation of the CrossFit Games. While privacy from the media was provided, his wish not to appear on screen during the tribute held before resuming the competition was not honored: "my wish was not respected."

Dave Castro issued an apology, saying that he should never have stated that the decision to continue the CrossFit Games was “blessed” by the Dukic family, and that he never intended to place the burden of this decision on Luka, the Dukic family, or the athletes of the Games.

Here is Dave Castro’s full statement:

What did CrossFit do after the death of Lazar Dukic?

As Luka Dukic detailed, the CrossFit Games continued as planned. First, a tribute was held with all the athletes one day after the Serbian athlete’s death, although some participants disagreed with continuing the competition and withdrew.

Several reports suggest that there was a possibility of canceling the competition and distributing the winnings equally among the athletes, which would have significantly benefited Lazar Dukic’s family. However, this did not happen, and some participants were upset.

In the end, Tia-Clair Toomey and James Sprague won the titles of the fittest woman and man on the planet, in an event that will always be remembered for the death of Lazar Dukic.