To its fans CrossFit is a hardcore way to stay healthy, but for its detractors it is a brutally demanding gimmick that inspires cult-like reverence. And it's only around 20 years old; a truly millennial fitness regime.
But now what Forbes magazine has called "the fastest growing sport in America", has become engulfed in a controversy which has divided enthusiasts. The cause of the division is that the organisers of this year's global CrossFit Games - which start in California on 19 July - have announced that the winners will each receive a Glock handgun as a prize.
The sign of trouble came when the CrossFit Games' official Facebook page posted a slick video last week, showcasing the handgun.The video, has been viewed more than 800,000 times and drew a swift response. Most of those who commented were outraged that their firearm-free sport had been associated with guns. An online petition which demands an end to the partnership with Glock has now been signed by more than 20,000 people.
One of the outraged CrossFitters, Kyle Williams called the video "a glorified pistol ad." A CrossFit gym in Vancouver wrote, in a an Instagram post, that "CrossFit stands for fitness, health, and community, and The Games is rewarding the top athletes with a gun. How does that make any sense?"
Another Crossfit gym, in Sweden, showed its disgust by posting a picture on Facebook of the famous sculpture of a gun with it's barrel twisted in a knot made by the Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd following the fatal shooting of John Lennon. The caption expressed the hope that any Swedish winners would throw their prizes into the sea.
