Kash Patel rolls out nationwide contest to crown FBI’s fittest male and female agents

FBI agents must qualify through local rounds before competing in Quantico, where the event will focus on fitness and team-building
The FBI will hold a two-day fitness contest in July, with all 56 field offices sending one male and one female agent to compete (Getty Images)
The FBI will hold a two-day fitness contest in July, with all 56 field offices sending one male and one female agent to compete (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Kash Patel’s FBI is rolling out a new nationwide competition to find the single fittest male and female agents in the bureau.

The federal law enforcement agency is launching what amounts to a high-pressure, pageant-style test of strength, endurance, and mental toughness, with one man and one woman eventually walking away with bragging rights as the FBI’s top physical performers, according to Politico.



Kash Patel faces scrutiny amid FBI fitness push

The two-day event is scheduled for early July at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed the summer competition and said all 56 field offices across the country are being encouraged to send their strongest contenders. Each office will nominate one male and one female agent to compete on the national stage.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: law enforcement officers walk out of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building o
Law enforcement officers walk out of the J Edgar Hoover FBI Building on January 28, 2019, in Washington, DC (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

But getting to Quantico won’t be simple. Before earning a place in the final showdown, agents must first make it through qualifying rounds in their own field offices.

The FBI is presenting the multi-day event as part morale booster and part performance challenge, with an emphasis on maintaining elite physical readiness while building stronger ties across the agency.

“Personal fitness is key for FBI employees, and this initiative provides a new and creative team-building experience at the FBI's Training Academy,” an FBI spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Kash Patel’s FBI fitness contest sparks fresh scrutiny

The launch comes as Patel continues to deal with scrutiny surrounding allegations tied to his personal conduct. In April, an Atlantic report alleged “excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”

According to the report, Patel’s late-night socializing allegedly forced aides to move morning meetings. It also claimed that on one occasion, his security detail had to request breaching equipment after they were unable to get a response from behind a locked door.

Earlier this year, a video showed Patel chugging a beer alongside the US men’s Olympic hockey team in Milan. NBC News reported that President Trump was unhappy with the locker-room celebration.



Patel has vehemently rejected the allegations and has since filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic.

Trump revives national fitness push in schools

The competition also comes as physical fitness has become a recurring theme in Trump’s agenda, especially in schools.

“I work out so much. Like, about one minute a day, max. If I'm lucky,” Trump joked while speaking alongside Cabinet officials and students.



Trump also traded jokes with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who recounted how his father, Robert F Kennedy, once completed a 50-mile hike.

RFK Jr said it would be a “breeze” for the golf-loving president to attempt the same because “this guy walks nine miles a day on a golf course every weekend.” “When I'm not using the cart,” Trump quipped.



Last year, Trump signed an order restoring the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test.

Tuesday’s move clears the way for schools across the country to begin awarding the updated fitness prize to students. The original national fitness test ran from the late 1950s until 2013, when Barack Obama replaced it with a different assessment.

The classic format measured students through a one-mile run or walk, maximum sit-ups in 60 seconds, push-ups or pull-ups to failure, a shuttle run, and stretching.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

CEO John Reilly said the safety review would cover the company's wider portfolio of rides, with Six Flags pledging to address the findings
2026-10-24T17:57:37.000Z
Sean Hannity explained that having the president at the celebration was important to the couple as they prepared for their wedding
2026-10-24T16:32:33.000Z
A State Department official declined to discuss her departure, describing it as an internal personnel matter
2026-10-24T09:12:39.000Z
Tyler Robinson’s defense proposed a 2029 trial, while Erika Kirk urged the court to schedule the case for the earliest practicable date in 2027
2026-10-24T07:32:11.000Z
Vanessa Trump publicly announced her cancer diagnosis in May
2026-10-24T06:44:55.000Z
Recalling the family’s visit, Erin Leavitt described the White House as a 'magical place' and said exploring its rooms was an extraordinary experience
2026-10-24T04:08:32.000Z
Katie Zacharia praised Donald Trump’s efforts for the Republican Party and recalled her experience working alongside him during the midterm campaign
2026-10-24T01:53:38.000Z
The father also reflected on how a lack of love and support in the teenager's life may have contributed to the tragedy
2026-10-23T21:29:27.000Z
Randy Spivey recalled one team member saying, ‘it’s either blood or blown, I need to know’, according to the filing
2026-10-23T19:50:16.000Z
Elon Musk said last week that decisions concerning Starlink restrictions in Ukraine were made by the US military and the president
2026-10-23T17:50:32.000Z