'Historic nuisance': Stadium hanbok incident sparks 'bladder control failure' controversy, followed by brazen SNS backlash and 'This is world champion level'... barrage of criticism → hasty damage control → 'It's already too late'

*This content was translated by AI.

A shocking incident occurred at an international competition where a female athlete continued racing and ultimately won while suffering from fecal incontinence, using shared equipment without any change. As unsanitary footage of the event spread uncontrollably, organizers bowed their heads belatedly and immediately began revising regulations.

British outlet 'Daily Mail' reported on the 16th (Korea time) that "the High Rocks organizing committee issued a formal apology and announced immediate regulatory changes for allowing an Australian female athlete to continue racing and win while covered in feces due to fecal incontinence at the Beijing event."

The incident occurred over the weekend at the High Rocks competition held in Beijing, China. The central figure of the controversy is Joanna Vietrzik (24), a fitness star from Melbourne, Australia, and the world record holder in the High Rocks women's solo category.

Videos and photos captured on-site show Vietrzik continuing to run despite feces flowing down both legs, performing burpee jumps, and carrying heavy sandbags while engaging in high-intensity events. Particularly, she used shared equipment without hesitation alongside other athletes, drawing fierce criticism.

However, existing regulations only included minor penalty clauses for littering on the course or spitting and blowing one's nose on the ground; there were no immediate sanctions related to fecal incidents whatsoever.

As the situation escalated rapidly, Moritz Fürste, co-founder of High Rocks, bowed his head via personal social media (SNS), stating: "Failing to respond immediately during the competition was a clear mistake by High Rocks. It was my role to anticipate such potential accidents beforehand, but I did not." He added, "I apologize to everyone who was directly or indirectly affected."

He further stated, "To prevent recurrence of such incidents, we have immediately introduced new rules and procedures."

The organizing committee announced that they isolated contaminated lanes overnight, completed full disinfection, removed contaminated equipment, replaced the entire floor carpet, and resumed the competition the following day.

However, criticism from participants and health experts continues unabated. Jo Ho, a male participant in the Beijing event, pointed out on personal SNS: "Other athletes who paid for and expected a safe competition may have suffered actual physical and mental harm. If the organizers admit their negligence, they must provide meaningful compensation such as refunds or credits."

Erika Dodge, a nurse from the United States, also noted via SNS that "from basic hygiene and health perspectives, the athlete should have been stopped immediately and other participants' access should have been blocked."

Moreover, Vietrzik, at the center of the fecal controversy, drew public outrage with her somewhat brazen attitude. Shortly after the competition, she posted a selfie taken on what appeared to be a hospital bed along with the message: "Either finish or go home; winning is still winning. Thank you sincerely for all your support. I will return soon." She later deleted the post amid a flood of criticism.

Launched in Germany in 2017, High Rocks is a competition where participants alternate between running 1 kilometer and completing eight high-intensity exercise stations. Participants must sequentially complete: 1,000m ski erg (Nordic skiing simulation), 50m sled push, 50m sled pull, 80m burpee jump, 1,000m rowing machine, and 200m. Recently, it has sparked a global craze, particularly among millennials and office workers.

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*This content was translated by AI.