IOC praises weightlifter Laurel Hubbard before transgender athlete’s Olympic debut

• New Zealander’s ‘courage and tenacity’ hailed
• Appearance at Games continues to divide opinion

The International Olympic Committee has praised the weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s “courage and tenacity” as she prepares to become the first transgender athlete to compete in an Olympics on Monday – with the IOC’s medical and science director Dr Richard Budgett also declaring that “everyone agrees that trans women are women”.

Hubbard’s participation in Tokyo has proved controversial with her supporters hailing it as a historic moment for trans rights – and the IOC’s critics believing that the 42-year-old New Zealander, who had never competed internationally until transitioning at 35, has an unfair and substantial advantage.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3f86SsA