[Editor's Note: Click here for an update to this story.]
Rainer Schaller, the 53-year-old fitness mogul whose company RSG Group bought Gold’s Gym out of bankruptcy in 2020, is presumed dead after the jet on which he was traveling from Mexico to Costa Rica crashed into the ocean on the evening of Oct. 21, according to multiple media reports.
Also on the plane were his partner Christiane Schikorsky, their two minor children, the pilot and another man. The names of the other victims have not been released.
On the afternoon of Oct. 22, Jorge Torres Carillo, Costa Rica's minister of public security, posted on his twitter page that two bodies had been recovered in the search area, but he did not identify the individuals.
Wreckage from the Piaggio 180 private jet, including a small lavender suitcase and backpacks, is being recovered in the ocean about 17 miles from the Limon airport.
RSG Group owns McFit, one of the largest low-priced chains in Europe, as well as Gold’s Gym, John Reed, Heimat and several other brands.
Club Industry has reached out to RSG Group for more information, but because the accident is still under investigation, the company declined to comment at this time. Club Industry will update the story as more is known.