Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be the first eunuch athlete to compete in the Olympics. She was selected by New Zealand for the women's event at the Tokyo Games. The decision has sparked a debate on sports participation and fairness.
Laurel Hubbard will compete in the
87kg weightlifting category, according to Reuters.
Laurel Hubbard, 43, the oldest
weightlifter at the Tokyo Games, competed in the men's weightlifting
competition before changing her gender in 2013.
A statement from the New Zealand
Olympic Committee on Monday quoted Laurel Hubbard as saying, "I am
grateful to the people of New Zealand for their support."
L'Oreal Hubbard has been eligible to
compete in the Olympics since 2015, when the International Olympic Committee
allowed transgender athletes to participate in sports as women.
According to the criteria set by the
International Olympic Committee, the level of testosterone in the body of a
female athlete must be less than 10 nanomoles per liter at least 12 months
before the first competition.
Some scientists say that this
criterion is not very effective because people who go through puberty as men
benefit more because their bones are stronger.
However, advocates for the inclusion
of eunuchs say that when a person changes his gender, the process makes a
difference in his masculine size, ie the benefits such as bone strength are
reduced.
Karen Smith, CEO of the New Zealand
Olympic Committee, said Laurel Hubbard met the standards of the International
Olympic Committee and the International Weightlifting Federation.
"Laurel is a member of the New
Zealand Olympic team," New Zealand Sports Minister Grant Robertson said in
a statement. We are proud of them and our other athletes and we will fully
support them.