Editorial
Laurel Hubbard is set to become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics.
The super-heavyweight, who competed in men’s weightlifting competitions before transitioning in 2013, qualified after the rules were revised due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee said in a statement: “The NZOC can confirm that revised International Federation (IF) qualification systems are very likely to see a number of New Zealand weightlifters, including Commonwealth Games transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard, allocated an IF quota spot for Tokyo 2020.
Watch the moment Caitlyn Jenner said trans girls shouldn’t compete in female sports below…
“A previous requirement to attend six competition events has been reduced to four due to the impact of Covid-19.”
Hubbard has been eligible to compete in the games ever since the International Olympic Committee put out guidelines on trans athletes.
Opening up about it in an interview back in 2017, Hubbard said: “The rules that enabled me to compete first went into effect in 2003.
“They are known as the Stockholm consensus with the IOC but I think even 10 years ago the world perhaps wasn’t ready for an athlete like myself – and perhaps it is not ready now.
“But I got the sense at least that people were willing to consider me for these competitions and it seemed like the right time to put the boots on and hit the platform.”
Trans Doctor Slams Caitlyn Jenner’s Views On Banning Transgender Girls From Female Sports
Trans women taking part in female sport has been a huge talking point lately.
Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner recently spoke out against it, saying ‘it just isn’t fair’.
However, her comments have sparked a huge backlash.
On Twitter, one person wrote: “I just can’t take Caitlyn Jenner seriously – it’s the hypocrisy & double standards for me.
“So wasn’t unfair for her to take part in a golf tournament with women in 2016? Pretend to thank trans athletes in sports for being themselves in her 2015 acceptance speech for an award?”
They added: “But seriously though #CaitlynJenner is basically saying that if she had transitioned as a kid she should’ve been denied a future as Olympic winner because she was born a boy? Discrediting her experience? Make it make sense.
“Missed opportunity to not be bridge for real solutions.”
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