On May 29, 2025, HYROX co-founders Christian Toetzke & Moritz Fürste were interviewed on CNBC’s Squawk Box about their recent growth, as well as the future of HYROX as a global sport.
Christian talks about the elements needed to solidify HYROX as a sport:
- a global leaderboard w/ standardized times & world records
- a consistent race experience at all venues
- rules applied to everyone
- a sport designed for the mass market, from beginner to elite
He then goes on to admit they were still too small to be considered for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but HYROX has its sights set on the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia.
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We know HYROX has been growing the Australian market over the past 2 years, holding several staple events there, dating back to 2023:
- HYROX Sydney 2023 – August 12, 2023
- HYROX Melbourne 2023 – August 26, 2023
The interest in HYROX from the Aussies is huge, with two more 3-day events planned for Melbourne & Sydney in 2025:
- HYROX Sydney 2025 – July 4-6, 2025
- HYROX Melbourne 2025 – December 5-7, 2025
HYROX expects to see close to 10,000 athletes participating at each event over the 3 days, with thousands more spectators in attendance (see our HYROX Spectator guide).
Olympic Considerations
To be considered for the Olympics, there are several qualifications, as well as other factors that the Olympic Committee considers. A sport must…
- be widely practiced globally
- be governed by an international federation
- comply with the Olympic Charter & World Anti-Doping code
Other factors considered include:
- popularity
- costs
- media interest
My Take
I’m skeptical about see HYROX in the Olympics at all, let alone as soon as 2032. Several of the key components that Christian admits are necessary for Olympic consideration are still missing in HYROX.
- Each course is different, which has been proven over and over again with results data
- The rulebook is not applied consistently to all athletes. Elite athletes competing in majors in the World Championship see different rules applied than everyday age group athletes.
- The global leaderboard is not accurate, given discrepancies in the course setup
What Christian doesn’t mention is that you also need to be governed by an International Federation (which HYROX is not). Media interest is another factor that the Olympic Committee considers, and while HYROX is gaining more media attention, it’s still far from that of existing Olympic sports.
In addition, HYROX has only just recently started drug testing athletes, and their testing program is still in its infant stages. I think it’s far from ready to fully comply with World Anti-Doping standards.
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Watch the full interview on CNBC here:
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