Laurel Hubbard will compete at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
That’s the absolute, rock-solid, final word from the International Olympic Committee after various people, organizations and even an online petition sought to remove the transgender New Zealand weightlifter from the Olympics.
“The rules for qualification have been established by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualifications started,” said IOC President Thomas Bach, according to Reuters. “These rules apply, and you cannot change rules during ongoing competitions.”
As I said on NPR recently, not only has Hubbard fulfilled the International Olympic Committee requirements to compete at the Olympics as a trans athlete, she has far exceeded them.
Hubbard gained notoriety as a trans athlete, particularly when she won silver medals at a World Championships that did not include various other countries due to suspensions.
Hubbard is not expected to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, despite outcries that her appearance at the Games is somehow “unfair.”