Wellington: New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard was selected as the first transgender Olympic athlete after Kiwi officials made a groundbreaking call on “a highly sensitive and complex issue”.
“We acknowledge that gender identity in sport is a highly sensitive and complex issue requiring a balance between human rights and fairness on the field of play,” New Zealand Olympic Committee chief Kereyn Smith said in a statement.
“As the New Zealand team, we have a strong culture of manaaki (caring) and inclusion and respect for all.”
Hubbard, who also competed as a male, became eligible to lift as a woman after showing testosterone levels below the threshold required by the International Olympic Committee.
She will contest the women’s +87kg category in Tokyo Olympics, an event in which she is currently ranked 16th in the world.
