Transgender Olympic Weightlifter A Reluctant Trailblazer

Wellington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2021 ) :Laurel Hubbard is the most reluctant of trailblazers as she prepares to become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics, reigniting debate on one of the most divisive issues in sport.

The New Zealand weightlifter is softly spoken and intensely shy, insisting during rare media interviews that she just wants to be left alone to pursue her sport.

Yet the 43-year-old's presence at the Tokyo Games beginning next month promises to be seismic, bringing into the Olympic arena an issue that challenges sport's traditional binary categories of male and female.

Hubbard was born male and competed as a man before transitioning to female in her 30s, becoming eligible to lift as a woman after showing testosterone levels below the threshold required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

She will compete in the women's +87kg category, where she is ranked 16th in the world but rated a reasonable chance of a medal as the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented many higher-ranked rivals attending the Games.

It's a prospect that dismays some, including Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen, who argues Hubbard has an unfair advantage over female rivals due to physical attributes locked into her body during her formative years as a male.

"For athletes the whole thing feels like a bad joke," Vanbellinghen told Olympic news website Inside the Games.

"Life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes -- medals and Olympic qualifications -- and we are powerless."Hubbard's supporters, including the New Zealand Olympic Committee, say she has met the IOC's criteria for competing as a woman, earning her the right to respect and inclusion.