Private equity firm L Catterton is close to buying a controlling stake in Hyrox in a deal that may value the fitness competition brand at about €600 million (US$697 million), according to people familiar with the situation.L Catterton, which is based in Greenwich, Connecticut in the United States, is also considering bringing in global partners including from Asia to co-invest, the people said, as Hyrox quickly gains popularity in places such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.An agreement may be reached soon, they added, asking not to be identified because the information is not public.A representative for L Catterton did not respond to request for comment.Hyrox is owned by Switzerland-based marketing firm Infront Sports & Media AG, which counts Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Company as a backer. A consortium led by Boyu Capital was in talks to acquire Infront last year, Bloomberg News reported in October.Hong Kong is hosting the Hyrox world championships next year. Photo: Jocelyn TamA representative for Dalian Wanda declined to comment. Hyrox and Infront did not respond to requests for comment.