The International Olympic Committee has given the “all clear” for a biological man to compete on behalf of New Zealand in the women’s weightlifting competition.
43 year old Laurel Hubbard’s inclusion in the female-only sport “does not violate the current rules on the books,” the committee ruled.
Hubbard will be the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Games.
Zerohedge.com reports: IOC head Thomas Bach commented: “The rules for qualification have been established by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualifications started. These rules apply, and you cannot change rules during ongoing competitions.”
Bach also noted the rules were “currently under evaluation” and would be reviewed “at a later date”, the Post wrote.
He continued: “The IOC is in an inquiry phase with all different stakeholders… to review these rules and finally to come up with some guidelines, which cannot be rules because this is a question where there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It differs from sport to sport.”
The idea of transgender women in sports remains a point of contention in the U.S., with states like Florida and Montana looking to bar then from middle school and high school sports. Skeptics argue that “women” who go through bone and muscle development as biological men have (obviously) unfair advantages.
Meanwhile, we’ve spotted the other women competing against Hubbard…