The International Olympic Committee has cleared a transgender athlete to compete in the upcoming Tokyo games.
The IOC ruled Saturday that Laurel Hubbard, 43, who is a biological man, can compete for New Zealand in the women’s weightlifting super-heavyweight category and that her inclusion does not violate the current rules on the books.
She is on track to be the first transgender athlete to ever compete in the games.
“The rules for qualification have been established by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualifications started,” IOC boss Thomas Bach said during a new conference Reuters reported. “These rules apply, and you cannot change rules during ongoing competitions.”
Bach stressed that the rules were currently under evaluation and would be reviewed at a later date.
“The IOC is in an inquiry phase with all different stakeholders… to review these rules and finally to come up with some guidelines, which cannot be rules because this is a question where there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” he said. “It differs from sport to sport.”
Hubbard’s inclusion in the games has sparked intense criticism from some who say she will have unfair advantages with bone and muscle development having gone through puberty as a man.
Transgender athletes have been officially allowed to compete in the Olympic games as women since 2015.
Allowing transgender women in sports has become a hot button issue in the United States. Several conservative-leaning states like Florida and Montana have moved to bar trans athletes from middle and high school sports. Pro-trans activists have said such laws are discriminatory.