Hybrid Down Under
The sport of hybrid has officially hit the big time across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. And it’s about time, we say!
Hybrid fitness events have grown rapidly over the last five years. However, their growth has primarily been across the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. Until now…
While hybrid training programs have always been a major player in the fitness industry Down Under, hybrid as a sport and fitness event has only recently taken off. Given the substantial growth in other parts of the world, it was only a matter of time before countries across the Asia-Pacific region jumped on the hybrid sport bandwagon.
The delay in popularity compared to other countries could be attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Border restrictions and lockdowns caused countries such as Australia and New Zealand to become even more isolated from the rest of the world. As a result, events such as Hyrox only launched in the APAC region in late 2022, with the first event being held in Hong Kong. The first Australian Hyrox events were held in August 2023. Fast forward to now, and in less than of 12 months we have seen a rapid expansion of hybrid as a sport and fitness event in the southern hemisphere.
Let’s take a look at some key stats for hybrid sporting events across the APAC region.
3 Hyrox events in 2023 vs 7 Hyrox events in 2024
First ever DEKA STRONG event at Melbourne Fitness Expo in March 2024
First ever Hyrox events in Brisbane, Perth and South Korea in 2024
Around 3000 racers at Melbourne Hyrox 2023 vs more than 6000 racers at Melbourne Hyrox 2024
Australian Hyrox events this year have introduced pro doubles races
Potential for more DEKA events to come to Australia and beyond.
Close to 6000 athletes are expected to compete at Hyrox Sydney on Saturday, 27 July. This compares to around 1,400 competitors at last year’s event - that’s more than 300% growth in less than a year!
So, what does this mean?
Well, with additional Hyrox events planned for the region and the potential for more DEKA events to be held across Australia sometime soon, hybrid as a sport and fitness event is only going to keep growing. This means more events, more competitors and ultimately…a bigger playing field.
As the sport continues to grow, so will the competition. The recent Hyrox Melbourne event saw the Men’s Pro winner beat last year’s winner by more than a minute, while this year’s Women’s Open winner beat last year’s winner by over seven minutes!
We can definitely expect to see more APAC competitors on the world stage for hybrid sports, and we are definitely here for it!
