When is Laurel Hubbard weightlifting? Why is there controversy around transgender athlete and what are people saying?
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Published 02/08/2021 at 09:19 GMT
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at the Tokyo Olympics as she becomes the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Games in an individual event. Her inclusion in the women's +87kg weightlifting event in Tokyo has prompted plenty of debate and controversy. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+
Laurel Hubbard will compete in the women's 87kg weightlifting
Image credit: Getty Images
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games in an individual event - but her inclusion has caused plenty of debate and controversy.
Hubbard will compete following footballer Quinn's appearance in the Canadian women's football team at Tokyo 2020.
The 43-year-old will be competing in the women's +87kg weightlifting event at Tokyo Olympics against the likes of Team GB star Emily Campbell.
When is Laurel Hubbard competing at the Tokyo Olympics?
Hubbard's campaign for gold in the women's +87kg weightlifting final takes place on Monday, August 2 at 11.50am BST.
Who is Laurel Hubbard?
At 43 years of age, Hubbard is the third oldest lifter in Olympic history..
In her younger days, Hubbard competed in the men's competitions, lifting a total of 300kg to become a national record holder before quitting in 2001 at the age of 23.
Hubbard underwent hormone therapy before coming out as trans aged 35 and since returning to competition, she has won seven international tournament gold medals.
She picked up a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships, broke her arm at the Commonwealth Games and bounced back to take gold at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.
What are the rules regarding transgender athletes at the Olympics?
Hubbard has been eligible to compete at the Olympics since 2015 after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued guidelines allowing any transgender athlete to compete as a woman provided their testosterone levels were below 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months before their first competition.
Its stipulations also state athletes who have transitioned from male to female can compete in women's sport - without requiring surgery - as long as they have declared their gender identity is female for at least four years.
World Athletics has set five nmol/lp as its benchmark.
According to NHS data, men's testosterone levels range between 10 and 30 nanomoles per litre dependant on different factors and a younger healthy male typically ranges between 20 and 30.
Women's testosterone levels range between 0.7 and 2.8.
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Laurel Hubbard is the third oldest weightlifter in Olympics history
Image credit: Getty Images
What have people said about Laurel Hubbard?
First and foremost, Hubbard has stayed relatively quiet on her inclusion, preferring to stay out of the media focus surrounding her.
She has however previously said: "The Olympic Games are a global celebration of our hopes, our ideals and our values.
"I commend the IOC for its commitment to making sport inclusive and accessible."
But her inclusion has split the world of sport and beyond with some people showing support for her inclusion and others believing Hubbard has an unfair advantage over her competitors.
Here's what people have said:
Team GB weightlifter Emily Campbell
"I believe everyone should be able to do something they love and she qualified in her own right like the rest of us girls.
"Everyone has been very opinionated about it but I think everyone is kind of forgetting about her feelings."
Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen
"I understand that for sports authorities nothing is as simple as following your common sense, and that there are a lot of impracticalities when studying such a rare phenomenon, but for athletes the whole thing feels like a bad joke.
"Life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes - medals and Olympic qualifications - and we are powerless."
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Weightlifting Men 61kg - Tokyo 2020 - Olympic Highlights
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova
"I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her."..
Former Olympic champion Caitlin Jenner
"This is a question of fairness, that's why I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls' sports in school.
"It just isn't fair and we have to protect girls' sports in our schools."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
"All parties here have simply followed the rules.
"That's the case for Laurel but also the team in New Zealand, they have followed the rules."
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