GLACE BAY, N.S. -- CrossFit clubs in Nova Scotia are only a few days into being open again after being closed for months because of COVID-19, but already, they're taking swift action in the face of a controversy.
Josh Carabin is the owner of what, until now, was known as CrossFit Jono.
He's already rebranding under the name Jono Athletics, after controversial tweets by CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman.
On Saturday, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation tweeted "racism is a public health issue."
Glassman responded: "It's Floyd-19."
"The first reaction was, 'That's not OK. That's not appropriate. That's wrong, really,'" said Carabin. "I had a friend text me and asked if I had heard about what was said by Greg Glassman. That was right at 6 p.m., and at 6:01, I decided that we were going to drop our affiliation with CrossFit."
Keely Wadden is changing the name of her gym in Glace Bay from CrossFit D-10, to D-10 Fitness & Nutrition.
"Shock and embarrassment were probably two of the biggest things that come to mind," Wadden said."This goes against everything we believe in as a community, our values, and what we've created."
A third Cape Breton club tells CTV News it is also dropping the CrossFit name, saying: "We do not support the comments made by Greg Glassman. They do not reflect on who we are as a gym and we do not support his approach to leadership."
Glassman has since tweeted an apology, but some in the sport say they have a problem not only with what was said, but also with what they feel was silence from CrossFit when it came to showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
"If we want to see racism end, or take steps in the right direction, then we actually have to take those steps," said Carabin.
Changing their names means the gyms will no longer have to pay CrossFit affiliation fees, but they say their message is simply about taking a stand.
