A transgender weightlifter from New Zealand, Laurel Hubbard, will compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is written by Inside the Games.
As noted, Laurel Hubbard is not yet included in the New Zealand Olympic team. However, according to The Guardian, she will automatically qualify due to changes in the rules of the International Olympic Committee.
In 2015, the IOC updated the rules that allow trans women to compete in the women’s weight class without sex reassignment surgery, provided that their testosterone levels are low for at least a year.
In particular, 43-year-old Hubbard takes 16th place in the heavy category (over 87 kg)in the rating. She will be the oldest weightlifter in Tokyo 2020. Her best result in qualifying — 285 kg-allows her to qualify for the Olympics. Only three competitors scored more than her.
Previously, she was named Gavin and was considered the leading heavyweight of her country. At the age of 35, then still Gavin, finished his career and went to work in the local federation. Subsequently, he changed his gender and received a new name, Laurel.
In 2017, Hubbard won silver at the World Championships, after which she won the Pacific Games. Now she may become the first-ever transgender person to compete at the Olympics.
The Olympic Games in Tokyo were scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020. Due to the pandemic, the competition was postponed for a year and will now take place between July 23 and August 8, 2021.
The American company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provide their drug for vaccination against coronavirus athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.
