Wellington (AFP)

New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, 43, who competed in men's competitions in her youth, could become the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics next summer in Tokyo.

The New Zealand National Olympic Committee (NZOC) "is able to confirm that under revised qualification systems by international federations, several New Zealand weightlifters, including transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard, are expected to get a quota for the Tokyo Olympics, ”the NZOC said on Thursday.

The weightlifter, who started out under the first name Gavin, was already the first transgender athlete to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast (Australia) in 2018, where she injured her elbow.

Laurel Hubbard, currently 16th in the world in the super heavy category (over 87 kg), meets the qualification criteria for the Tokyo Olympics (July 23 - August 8), which notably want her testosterone level to be kept below 10 nanomoles per liter, and this for a period of at least 12 months.

This rule established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also followed by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

While the New Zealand weightlifting selection has yet to be announced, officials have indicated that Laurel Hubbard has a good chance of meeting the qualifying criteria which have been simplified by the IWF due to the Covid pandemic. 19.

The 43-year-old weightlifter has always received strong support from the New Zealand Olympic Committee but his participation in the Tokyo Olympics should not fail to revive the debate on the participation of transgender athletes.

If for some it simply meets the criteria set by the IOC, for others it benefits from an unfair advantage over other sportswomen born women.

"She complied with the requirements of the IOC and she proved that she was a woman ... so we must give her a chance and allow her to continue", explained in 2018 Paul Coffa, secretary general of the Oceania Federation of weightlifting, to defend its participation in the Commonwealth Games.

But the Australian Weightlifting Federation had in turn tried to ban her from participating, believing that the musculature and power she had developed while still a man gave her a physical advantage, regardless of her rate. of testosterone.

As for Laurel Hubbard, she rarely speaks but she explained in 2017 to Radio New Zealand that she just wanted to compete in a sport she loves and "didn't care" about the reviews.

"If I take it into account, it makes my snatches even more difficult ... I am who I am," she explained.

"I don't want to change the world. I just want to be myself and do what I do," she added.

© 2021 AFP