Olympic Medical & Science Official: Transgenders Are Real Women, 'Everyone Agrees'
'There are no IOC rules or regulations around transgender participation'
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Dr. Richard Budgett, the director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical and Science, claimed that “everyone agrees that trans women are women” following his praise of New Zealand trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard.
During a Friday press conference, Budgett hailed Hubbard for exhibiting “courage and tenacity.”
Hubbard is the first biological man to be allowed to compete at the Games as a woman.
Budgett explained as he excused the IOC’s decision:
“To put it in a nutshell, the IOC had a scientific consensus back in 2015."
“There are no IOC rules or regulations around transgender participation. That depends on each international federation.”
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“So Laurel Hubbard is a woman and is competing under the rules of her federation, and we have to pay tribute to her courage and tenacity in actually competing and qualifying for the Games,” Budgett added.
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“There are lots of aspects of physiology and anatomy, and the mental side, that contributes to elite performance."
"It’s very difficult to say, ‘yes, she has an advantage because she went through male puberty,’ when there are so many other factors to take into account,” Budgett continued.
“It’s not simple,” he said.
“Each sport has to make their own assessment depending on the physiology of that sport so that they can ensure there is fair competition, but also the inclusion of everyone – whether they’re male or female – so they are able to take part in the sport they love.”
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In June, former British Olympian Sharron Davies blasted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allowing a transgender weightlifter to compete in this year's Tokyo Games.
Davies argued competitors must be separated by biological sex rather than "gender identity" to keep sports fair.
Retired New Zealand weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs said many of her fellow athletes were unhappy about the decision to allow Hubbard to join the league.
Lambrechs said the New Zealand weightlifting censored opposing voices of the event.
“I was told if I wanted to go to the next Commonwealth Games, I needed to lose 18 kilograms [about 40 pounds] in three months or retire,” Lambrechs said last month.
“Losing that much weight quickly was not ideal for my health, and I suffered some severe migraines and started passing out a lot.”
