Tokyo: The International Olympic Committee on Saturday supports the choice of New Zealand Hubbard New Zealand Hubbard for the Tokyo Olympics despite criticism, saying that under current rules – which will be reviewed in the future – he can compete.
Hubbard will be the first transgender athlete to compete in the game after he was chosen for the New Zealand team in the category 87 + kg of super-heavy women.
This 43-year-old inclusion has broken a split, with his supporters to welcome the decision while the critics questioned the justice of transgender athletes who compete against women.
“The rules for qualifications have been determined by the international weight lifting federation before the qualification began,” said President Ioc Thomas Bach.
“These rules apply, and you cannot change the rules during the ongoing competition.” Bach said the rules would be reviewed by all stakeholders involved to establish new guidelines in the future.
“At the same time IOC is in the inquiry phase with all different stakeholders …
to review these rules and ultimately to produce some guidelines that cannot be rules because this is a question where there is no one-to-fits Solution, “he said at a press conference.
“This is different from sports to sports.” IOC has cleared the road in 2015 for transgender athletes to compete in games as women, as long as their testosterone levels are below 10 nanomol per liter for at least 12 months before their first competition.
Some scientists say this guideline does a little to reduce the biological lead from those who have passed puberty as men, such as bone and muscle density.
Transgender inclusion supporters argue that the transition process reduces the profit and that the physical difference between athletes means there has never been a level of play in sports.
Asked repeatedly if he supported the competitive Hubbard in Tokyo, Bach said the athlete’s selection was based on certain rules.
“Rules already exist and the rules must be applied and you cannot change the rules during the ongoing qualification system,” he said.
“This is what is relied on by all athletes in the world: that the rules are being applied.”