New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history Sunday when she became the first openly transgender athlete chosen for the Olympics , but those fighting to keep …
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history Sunday when she became the first openly transgender athlete chosen for the Olympics, but those fighting to keep biological males out of women’s sports say she only proves their point. At 43, Ms. Hubbard is nearly twice as old as many of her competitors. She transitioned at age 35, then rose to the top ranks of international women’s weightlifting after a solid but unspectacular career as a junior male lifter. She qualified for the New Zealand Olympic Team in the super-heavyweight category despite suffering a potentially career-ending injury in 2018, prompting Fair Play for Women to call her a textbook example of “why female sport must be reserved for the female sex only. “Just think about it for a moment,” the British group tweeted. “A testosterone -fuelled [sic] puberty provides such a large physical advantage in weightlifting that someone can still qualify for the female category at the Olympics at the age of 43 and after breaking their arm.” The New Zealand Olympic Committee announced Sunday that Ms. Hubbard had earned a spot on its five-member weightlifting team, fueling a firestorm ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which run July 23-Aug.8. “What the Olympics is doing by allowing males to compete in the women’s category is not only shameful but a mockery of sport,” said Beth Stelzer, president of Save Women’s Sports. “The rights of females should not end where the feelings of a few males begin.” New Zealand officials defended the selection, noting that Ms. Hubbard met the International Olympic Committee and International Weightlifting Federation criteria by keeping her serum testosterone level below 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months prior to competition, and declaring her gender identity as female for at least four years. “As well as being among the world’s best for her event, Laurel has met the IWF eligibility criteria including those based on IOC Consensus Statement guidelines for transgender athletes,” said NZOC CEO Kereyn Smith. “We acknowledge that gender identity in sport is a highly sensitive and complex issue requiring a balance between human rights and fairness on the field of play.” From a public-relations standpoint, however, Ms. Hubbard is hardly an ideal barrier-breaker. “What a pitiful day in the history of women’s sports!” said Linda Blade, former Canadian track champion and author of the newly released book, “Unsporting: How Trans Activism and Science Denial Are Destroying Sport.
