The organisers of HYROX, an indoor fitness competition, have threatened to impose lifetime bans on anyone who makes direct threats against Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk, who defecated on herself during an event in China.

According to reports, the incident happened on Saturday during the HYROX Beijing event, where the 22-year-old was competing in the Women’s Pro division, which she eventually won.

Footage from the event showed Ms Wietrzyk continuing to compete in the indoor competition, which combines eight kilometres of running and eight functional workout stations, despite faecal matter visible on her legs.

The incident sparked debate among social media users and competition participants, with some reportedly demanding an apology and a refund, saying they were forced to come into contact with contaminated equipment.

In a statement on Sunday, the German fitness company acknowledged the “legitimate” concerns raised by participants, while noting that HYROX had clear biocontaminant procedures in place.

“We recognise that this can understandably lead to frustration, questions and strong views within our community. Those concerns are legitimate and, as organisers, we must be prepared to hear them, examine what happened and take responsibility for continuing to improve. And we will.

“HYROX has clear biocontaminant and medical procedures in place. In this instance, an unforeseen situation arose in which protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood,” the company said.

HYROX, however, stressed that it draws the line at threats against its athletes, warning that it would ban anyone who threatens to harm them, whether through social media or direct messages.

“Frustration should never be directed towards the athletes themselves. They are the people who put themselves on the line, compete at the highest level and make competition what it is,” HYROX stated.

It added, “There is no place in our community for threats of violence or encouragement to harm an athlete. As this has happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct: Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour—whether through comments, direct messages or social media—will be permanently banned from all HYROX events. We are currently reviewing and identifying those responsible, and action will be taken.”