WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

HYROX organisers have been forced to apologise after an Aussie athlete was allowed to continue — and win — a race in China despite defecating during the event.

The world’s No 1-ranked women’s singles athlete, Australian Joanna Wietrzyk, was competing in the Women’s Pro division in Beijing over the weekend when she soiled herself during the race.

Viral footage showed the 22-year-old competing with faecal matter smeared across her arms and legs, sparking outrage and questions over why organisers would allow the athlete to continue racing in such a state.

Responding to the controversy, organisers issued a lengthy statement on Sunday that appeared to fan the flames, with their response being dubbed a “PR disaster” by people online.

“There is no place in our community for threats or violence or encouragement to harm an athlete,” the statement read.

“As this happened this weekend, we want to be very clear and direct: Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all HYROX events.”

Following further outrage, the co-founder of the fitness competition Mo Furste was forced to apologise in a personal statement uploaded to HYROX’s official Instagram page late on Monday.

“I need to address all of you directly concerning the recent events in China,” he wrote, explaining HYROX’s rules would be changed to ensure a similar incident doesn’t happen again.

“I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have.

“HYROX made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race.

“In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not.

“Of course, we started improving event processes, plus making rule book changes immediately. As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.

“We learn and try to get better everyday.”

Mr Furste’s apology has still been met with criticism, with people online calling on organisers to formally disqualify Ms Wietrzyk.

“Completely unfair for any participants behind her!” one person commented.

Another added: “She doesn’t deserve the championship, she made it hard for other people to compete, disqualify her.”

A third said: “This is a very weak apology from HYROX.”

Launched in Germany in 2017, HYROX exploded into a massive global fitness craze that sees thousands of gym fanatics compete in a closed, indoor circuit race that tests their strength and endurance.

Unlike marathons or obstacle course races, every HYROX course layout and workout is identical worldwide, allowing athletes to compare their exact finish times against a global leaderboard.