Laurel Hubbard will compete in weightlifting at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
That’s the ruling of the Commonwealth Games Federation after Australia lobbied the group to ban the transgender athlete from competition.
“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,” Keelan wrote to the Federation, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Actually, that’s kind of a weak view. Sports are divided along gender lines. Hubbard is a woman. She’s competing against women. On top of that, she has taken steps to reduce the effects of natural testosterone her body has been privy to.
The Commonwealth Games Federation isn’t buying Australia’s reasoning.
“The gender eligibility criteria currently applied by the IWF does not constructively discriminate against transgender athletes and as a consequence there is no moral, ethical or legal basis to prevent transgender athletes from pursuing their sporting ambitions and competing in IWF-sanctioned events,” the Federation said in a statement, according to Stuff.
Weightlifting competitors are divided by weight class, and Hubbard competes in the highest-weight class.
Despite cries about “unfair advantages” for Hubbard, she finished second at the World Championships in December and was beaten by a cisgender woman.
Australia plays host for the Commonwealth Games, April 4-15, in Gold Coast, an hour south of Brisbane.
