Each year, athletes from all over the world gather to compete in the CrossFit Games, a grueling series of tests in a search to find the "Fittest on Earth." It's usually a thrilling experience for participants and spectators alike, but this year, some CrossFitters aren't so happy with the Games, due to the event's partnership with weapons manufacturer Glock.
This year, the CrossFit Games plans to award the winners with a Glock gun, a fact that isn't sitting too well with some competitors.
"The top male athlete, the top female athlete, and every member of the winning team will receive a Glock pistol," Dave Castro, director of the CrossFit Games, is quoted as saying in a Facebook post on the official Games page.
In prior years, the CrossFit Games have awarded athletes with cash prizes up to $275,000 for the first-place winner. It is unclear whether this year's Games will reward athletes with money in addition to the Glock guns, but either way, it's gotten organizers into hot water.
A petition has started on Change.org condemning the decision and asking CrossFit to cancel the gun prizes.
"This doesn't represent our community in any way, shape or form," the petition says. "Irrespective of anyone's right to bear arms in the U.S., branding the value of our community to be about awarding weapons as gifts and rewards is not what our community stands for."
At the time of writing, the petition has over 7,700 supporters since being created last night.
As the petition says, "We ask the community to sign our petition and for CrossFit, Inc. to immediately announce the cancellation of this partnership as this is just not appropriate for the global community that call themselves CrossFitters."
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