For the first time, a transgender athlete will take part in the Olympic Games.
The New Zealand National Olympic Committee (NZOC) nominated weightlifter Laurel Hubbard for the Tokyo Games on Monday.
The 43-year-old from Auckland used to be called Gavin and had her gender changed surgically in 2012.
It competes in the class up to 87 kilograms.
"I am grateful and humble for the kindness and support I have received from so many New Zealanders," she said, according to a statement from the NZOC.
According to the rules of the International Olympic Committee, a trans woman must, on the one hand, declare that her gender identity is female.
This declaration may not be changed for four years.
In addition, the athlete must prove that her testosterone level is below a certain value at least twelve months before the competition.
The guidelines have been in effect since November 2015. "The overriding sporting goal is and remains to ensure fair competition," it says.
Until her gender reassignment, Hubbard was active as a male weight lifter.
As a woman, she entered the Commonwealth Games in 2018, broke her arm in competition and fell out for a long time.
In 2019 she won the title at the Pacific Games in the island nation of Samoa.
Your start in women's competitions is not without controversy.
Competitors see Hubbard at an advantage.
NZOC boss Kereyn Smith emphasized that Hubbard had met all the requirements and criteria for participating in the Olympics. "We recognize that gender identity in sport is a highly sensitive and complex issue that requires a balance between human rights and fairness on the field," she said.