Laurel Hubbard announced her retirement from weightlifting following her disappointing loss at the Tokyo Olympics.
The New Zealander made history as one of the first transgender competitors in the Olympics, but she struggled to make the grade and was knocked out early in the competition.
“Age has caught up with me. In fact if we’re being honest it probably caught up with me some time ago,” said Hubbard.
“My involvement in sport is probably due, if nothing else, to heroic amounts of anti-inflammatories, and it’s probably time for me to start thinking about hanging up the boots and concentrating on other things in my life.”
At 43, Hubbard is significantly older than the other women she is competing against. Speaking to the media, Hubbard praised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for adopting policies that allowed transgender people to take part in sport at it’s highest level.
The inclusion of transgender athletes in the Olympic Games has been fiercely debated with critics arguing that transgender athletes may face an unfair advantage depending on the age that they transitioned gender.
The IOC has announced it will be once again reviewing it’s policy, and new guidelines will be introduced after the conclusion of the Tokyo Games. Hubbard commented on the evolving policy saying it would be expected that the policy would be updated regularly as more research is done into the abilities of athletes who are transgender.
“I’m certain that a conversation needs to be had,” Hubbard said. “Although we have rules at the moment, they will no doubt change and evolve as more is known about transgender athletes and what that means for participation in sport.”
OIP Staff
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