Trans weightlifter is just ‘niggle’, says sports boss
therefore has ‘‘no leg to stand on’’.
‘‘Laurel has met all the requirements they’ve asked, which includes a monthly testosterone test and her testosterone levels are lower than a normal female,’’ he said. ‘‘[Keelan is] playing games and trying to niggle us in order to give the Australian weightlifter in that category a bit of an edge.’’
Hubbard, who lived as a man for 35 years and previously competed in elite men’s weightlifting competitions as Gavin Hubbard, is set to become the first transgender athlete to represent New Zealand at April’s Commonwealth Games.
Last year her two silver medals at the US-hosted weightlifting world championships made her the first Kiwi— male or female— to win any medal in the prestigious competition.
Keelan wrote a letter to Australia’s Daily Telegraph protesting Hubbard’s right to compete at international weightlifting events.
‘‘Ultimately, it is our strong view that weightlifting has always been a gender-specific sport, male and female, not a competition among individuals of various levels of testosterone,’’ he wrote.
‘‘In our respectful view, the current criteria and its application has the potential to devalue women’s weightlifting and discourage female-born athletes from pursuing the sport at the elite level in the future.’’
The International Weightlifting Federation follows rules set by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) on whether or not transgender athletes can compete as their chosen gender.
The IOC revised its 2003 consensus on the matter in 2015, to reflect ‘‘a growing recognition of the importance of autonomy of gender identity in society’’.
A spokesman from the Human Rights Commission said transgender women did not pose an unfair advantage in sports, so long as ‘‘testosterone levels are consistent with those of athletes assigned female at birth’’. ‘‘Laurel is a woman – not a man masquerading as a woman to gain medals or glory. Participation in sport and physical activity is a human right.’’