Dave Castro says CrossFit ‘fired’ him and departure isn’t mutual, after leaked Eric Roza email confirms Games director’s exit
- Former general manager lavished with praise by CEO but insists he is not leaving voluntarily after 15 years
- Castro replaced by Justin Bergh, who is promoted from vice-president of sport and partnership
Dave Castro has claimed he has been fired by CrossFit, insisting that any suggestion his exit from the company was a mutual decision “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
News of the former CrossFit Games director’s departure came on Wednesday via a leaked internal email, which had circulated in the company on January 4, according to CrossFit blog The Morning Chalk Up.
“I have made the difficult decision to change the leadership of the Sport team to best support CrossFit’s go-forward plans, and Dave Castro will be leaving the business,” CEO Eric Roza wrote in the email.
Castro, who was also CrossFit’s former general manager of sport, created the CrossFit Games in 2007 and organised 15 annual editions of the competition which crowns “The Fittest on Earth”. He was responsible for designing the workouts at each edition, and is the only person to have held the position to date.
Castro will be replaced by Justin Bergh, a long time employee of CrossFit who has been promoted from vice-president of sport and partnership.
Roza’s email was full of praise for Castro and said: “His vision, creativity and drive have taken the CrossFit Games from an informal backyard competition at his family’s ranch into a global phenomenon with hundreds of thousands of participants and millions of viewers worldwide.
