Could Hyrox's Olympic ambition spell the end for triathlon?

"Our biggest concern is that they're not just here to take part, they're here to take over."

British triathlete Max Stapley first saw the news on Instagram. Last week, World Triathlon announced it was partnering with Hyrox - the fitness craze which combines running with exercise stations.

The agreement means Hyrox becomes a recognised discipline within World Triathlon. And now it sits under a recognised international federation, it could be eligible for inclusion at the Olympics and Paralympics.

It is too late for the Los Angeles 2028 Games but is there room for both hybrid racing and triathlon to feature at a future Olympics? Or could one replace the other?

For triathlon, a sport which has been in the Olympics since 2000, and has long-established professional circuits, its athletes are questioning whether they'll reap any rewards from this partnership - or even, whether it could "kill" the sport altogether.

'We were kind of blindsided'

Stapley, who spoke to BBC Sport from a training camp in Thailand, was having dinner with friends when his phone started pinging with news of the proposals and reaction to them.

"I was like, hold on a minute, what's this?", said Stapley.

"We don't even get an early notification, we found out on Instagram".

The post read, external: 'Hyrox x World Triathlon are officially introducing 'Hybrid Racing' as a new discipline within the World Triathlon family.'

Sophie Evans - who won gold as part of England's Commonwealth Games mixed relay team in Birmingham in 2022 - said she was "surprised" to receive the news like that.

"I'm not actually against it being part of World Triathlon. It's more the fact we were blindsided, it's just like it's here," she added.

Stapley accused World Triathlon of not caring about its athletes because he did not receive any communication from his sport's governing body prior to and after the announcement was made.

"They have no respect for us," he said. "They don't even contact us like 'hey, do you guys actually care about this, or what do you think?'"

In response, a World Triathlon spokesperson told BBC Sport: "The World Triathlon Executive Board approved the partnership. The board includes representatives of the World Triathlon Athletes' Committee elected by their peers.

"Athlete representatives are involved in every executive board discussion, and their voice is always heard.

"The announcement was communicated through the same procedures followed for all World Triathlon releases."

'An attack on our existence'

World Triathlon says the partnership is designed to "benefit the entire World Triathlon movement",, external with new opportunities to engage athletes and audiences, and a stronger platform to grow triathlon and multisport from grassroots to elite level.

The question for athletes is, how?

European champion Roksana Slupek, of Poland, said she was "not against the idea", but wanted more information.

"What's the benefit for us, for triathlon? It's nothing against Hyrox," said Slupek.

However, Stapley called the move an "attack on our whole existence" and is concerned that World Triathlon could direct attention and resources towards Hyrox's Olympic ambition - at the expense of his own sport.

"How does Hyrox grow triathlon? If anything they've killed triathlon," he said, while also suggesting brands would rather get in early with Hyrox athletes before they potentially appear at an Olympics.

"Sponsorships have reduced because there's no visibility on TV, you have to pay to watch us.

"We are triathletes that do the short distance, which is the Olympic distance, and we've trained all our lives for it.

"There's no swimming, there's no biking, it's indoors. [Hyrox] has got nothing to do [with triathlon]".

"It seems like our sport's gone, 'no worries, come along, use our structure, use our access to the International Olympic Committee, and perhaps take our space'.

"We've got an opportunity to win medals in Los Angeles [at the 2028 Olympics], but will we have it further down the track?"

Evans said that while triathlon was an "established" Olympic sport, that has provided high quality racing since its introduction to the Games 26 years ago, this new partnership has introduced a "level of uncertainty".

"A lot of the resistance has come from athletes, because you don't know," she added.

A World Triathlon spokesperson told BBC Sport, it is continuing to "increase its focus and involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic families" and that it is in the "planning phase" for Brisbane 2032, adding that "triathlon is, and will remain, at the heart of everything we do".