The International Olympic Committee officially have given transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard the green light to compete in the Tokyo Olympic games. But, the IOC is committed to re-evaluating the policy in the future.
When asked if IOC can fully support Laurel Hubbard, transgender weightlifter competing in the Olympics from NZ, president Bach says "The rules are applied & the rules cannot be changed. This is what all the athletes of the world are relying on, that the rules are being applied"
— Motoko Rich (@motokorich) July 17, 2021
Hubbard, 43, who is competing in the the over-87-kilogram super-heavyweights division, has raised a lot of eyebrows this year.
Prior to 2013, Hubbard competed in the men’s weightlifting division.
Since competing against women, Hubbard has been racking up medals.
Critics highlight the unfair advantage Hubbard has over biological females.
Australia Weightlifting Association Tried To Disqualify Laurel Hubbard
Australia’s weightlifting association tried to have Hubbard disqualified from competing as a women in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The IOC stated it would not be right to change the rules on transgender athletes at the last minute.
Those rules were established in 2015 allowing transgender athletes to compete as female if for twelve months before the first competition testosterone levels remain below 10 nanomoles per liter
“The rules for qualification have been established by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualifications started,” IOC President Thomas Bach said. “These rules apply, and you cannot change rules during ongoing competitions.”
Meet Laurel Hubbard:
A 6’1” transgender weightlifting BEAST that clinched 2 gold medals in the WOMEN’S division, because he kept losing to men pic.twitter.com/rVkRIpM1sg
— Your Republican Dad (@yourrepubdad) February 26, 2020
“At the same time, 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,” the IOC President continued. “It differs from sport to sport.”
“The rules are in place and the rules have to be applied and you cannot change the rules during an ongoing qualification system,” Bach said during the press conference. “This is what all the athletes of the world are relying on: that the rules are being applied.”
Anna Vanbellighen Calls Allowing Transgender Weightlifter “Unfair”
Anna Vanbellinghen of Belgium will be competing against Hubbard in the super-heavyweights division.
The 27 year old risked being targeted by the politically correct mob to speak out against the inclusion of a biological male competing as a female weightlifter.
She called it “unfair,” particularly since Hubbard went through puberty and lived decades as a male.
“So why is it still a question whether two decades, from puberty to the age of 35, with the hormonal system of a man also would give an advantage [in competing against women]?,” Vanbellinghen said.
“I understand that for sports authorities nothing is as simple as following your common sense, and that there are a lot of impracticalities when studying such a rare phenomenon, but for athletes the whole thing feels like a bad joke.
then let her compete with the men. she compares average against the men.
how can u look at this chart and tell me this is fair? the orange represents women and blue represents men lifting. the orange “LH” is obviously Laurel Hubbard. https://t.co/aR9ZzoO2Vh pic.twitter.com/6ZVKWYztPa
— The Truth (@MikeeKhoury) July 19, 2021
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“Life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes – medals and Olympic qualifications – and we are powerless,” she continued. “Of course, this debate is taking place in a broader context of discrimination against transgender people, and that is why the question is never free of ideology.
The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23rd. More information about Laurel Hubbard’s participation as a female weightlifter is in the video below.
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