After qualifying for the CrossFit Games ten consecutive years, Pat Vellner will not participate in the 2025 CrossFit Games season. Vellner, who has been on the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association (PFAA) since its inception in 2020, has officially announced that he will sit this year out.
“Sometimes, the best way to push for change is to take action, and this year I’m taking a stand by voting with my feet,” shared Vellner in his Instagram post this morning.
Vellner’s public decision comes just a day after Chandler Smith announced he would not compete in the Games season.
 Vellner’s full statement:
“I’ve decided not to compete in the 2025 CrossFit Games season. Sometimes, the best way to push for change is to take action, and this year I’m taking a stand by voting with my feet.
For years I’ve committed an enormous amount of time, energy, and passion to the CrossFit Games season, but it has become increasingly difficult to justify that commitment. I can’t continue to pour my heart into an organization that doesn’t see to be working to support those of us who compete in it.
Over the last several years, athletes have worked together and consistently voiced concerns and brought solutions regarding competition safety, fairness, and the overall direction of the sport and our efforts have largely been dismissed by leadership.
Last summer I lost a friend. Lazar’s death was a tragedy, and while there were multiple factors at play, I believe the leadership decisions within the CrossFit Games team played a role. The response from CrossFit Inc – or lack thereof – has made one thing clear: meaningful change is not coming any time soon. For our sport to evolve, we need the concerns, safety, and well-being of its athletes to be a priority, rather than dismissed, belittled, or outright ignored. I’m finished being patient and trusting, and I’m done shouting into the void.
We need a truly independent safety council with decision-making powers during the Games along with significantly improved two-way communication. The current mechanisms for athlete input don’t seem to carry any real weight, and we need the concerns of athletes to be a top priority. Right now, at least for me, rebuilding trust feels like a long road ahead.
For the last decade a huge part of my life has been devoted to the CrossFit Games season, and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities it has provided me. This fitness community has truly changed my life; through it I have made friends, gained opportunities, built community and maintained a level of physical fitness I’m extremely proud of. I’m sure this rings true for most people reading this post, whether you throw down twice a week at your local box or line up next to me to compete on the world stage. For these reasons, I will always remain involved with it both locally and more broadly.
I’m not stepping away from the sport, in fact this year I’ll be competing more than ever. But if you’re looking for me on the CrossFit Games leaderboard in a couple weeks just know I won’t be hitting submit on my Open registration form, and that it’s intentional.
This year I’m reinvesting my energy into the people I love and places that value athletes and competition integrity. First stop: WFP Indianapolis!
I’ll always support the CrossFit community and those who love this methodology. Good luck to everyone this season, whatever that looks like for you, just find your crew and have a blast throwing down. Whether it’s the Games Season or something else, Just [sic] keep finding ways to challenge yourselves. That’s all it’s ever been about.”
Pat Vellner’s first appearance at the CrossFit Games was in 2015 where he placed 20th on the CrossFit Plateau 2 team. Since then, he has rattled off nine straight individual appearances and has stood on the podium five times, taking 2nd place twice.
As mentioned in his statement above, Vellner is one of the 20 Pro male athletes that will compete in the World Fitness Project this season. He is also currently an active Board Member of the PFAA.
