Athletes Question Hygiene of Shared Race Equipment
HYROX Bangkok 2026, the international fitness competition held August 13 to 16 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, has come under fire online after competitors complained about dirty equipment. Participants took to a community group to share their experience of the event, singling out the sandbags used throughout the race. Athletes carry the bags on their backs for extended stretches of the course, and several described them as unpleasant-smelling and visibly unclean, questioning the hygiene standards for equipment that comes into direct, prolonged contact with the body.
Several competitors raised specific concerns about skin health, noting that many athletes remove their shirts during parts of the race, meaning the sandbags are exposed to sweat and bare skin from a large number of participants across each day of the four-day competition. The discussion, which first surfaced on community forums and social media, continued to circulate online in the days after the event wrapped up, with many calling on organisers to review their cleaning protocols before future races.
Competitors Suggest Rotating and Sanitising Equipment
Some participants suggested organisers keep two sets of sandbags on hand, rotating one set into use each day while the other is cleaned and disinfected, arguing this would give the equipment proper time to be sanitised between sessions rather than being reused continuously by hundreds of athletes. Others pointed out that with registration fees running close to five thousand baht, or around US$140, competitors expect a reasonable standard of hygiene in return, noting that sandbags typically cost only a few thousand baht each and arguing the extra investment in cleaning would be well worth the improved experience and reputation of the event.
HYROX is a global fitness race format combining running with functional workout stations, and the Bangkok leg has grown into one of the region's more prominent stops on the circuit since it launched, drawing both amateur and competitive participants to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. Organisers have not yet issued a public response to the complaints.
