Laurel Hubbard: First Trans Athlete at Olympics

• 23 Jun 2021

Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand has become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games.

• At 43, she will also be the oldest weightlifter at the games.
• Hubbard, 43, had participated in the men’s category as Gavin before coming out in 2013. She will compete in the women’s 87-kilogram class in Tokyo.

IOC Guidelines on Transgender Athletes

• The International Olympic Committee’s guidelines on transgender athletes allow those like Hubbard, who have made the transition from male to female, to compete if certain conditions are fulfilled.
• Such athletes, to be eligible to compete in the women’s category, must keep their testosterone levels in the serum to below 10 nanomoles per litre for the preceding 12 months before a competition. The athlete will be monitored regularly and non-compliance could result in ineligibility.