Days after spruiking his Peloton brand of exercise machines in Australia Peloton boss John Foley is defending the shocking death of a child on one of the Companies products.
He has warned parents to keep children away from the Companies treadmills after the death.
Peloton sells cycling machines and treadmills that can be connected online to virtual fitness classes.
Its business has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic as people look for alternative ways to exercise during lockdowns and gym closures.
In a separate incident, a 3-year-old suffered head injuries after getting trapped under a Peloton treadmill.
Officials said the child “was found to have tread marks on his back matching the slats of the treadmill”.
Boss John Foley called it “tragic accident” – one of a “small handful” of incidents in which children have been hurt on the firm’s exercise equipment.
He did not disclose further details about what happened.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it was investigating the incident.
The firm has said the skyrocketing demand during COVID-19 created supply chain pressures, leading to backlogs in orders for the machines.
According to Kevin Cornils, Managing Director, International for Peloton, the company’s decision to launch in Australia was driven by health and fitness being “part of Australia’s DNA”.
“Our global growth is fuelled by our passionate, growing community of over 4.4 million members who choose Peloton as their go-to fitness solution, anytime, anywhere.
The original Peloton Bike, as well as the Bike+ and the Peloton app, will arrive in Australia in the second half of 2021 and will sell direct to Australian consumers through showrooms in major cities including Sydney and Melbourne.
