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A spokesman for the country’s Olympic Committee said the New Zealand team wanted to help weightlifter Laurel Hubbard manage the “enormous attention” it would attract during the planetary summit.
Hubbard, who was born a man, but became a woman after his thirties, when he was elected, sparked a controversy after meeting a number of criteria. “We work closely with Laurel like any other athlete, but especially because of the focus he creates with her,” Ashley Abbott said Saturday. “We are looking at what is best for her in terms of her interactions with the media. So there will definitely be limits.”
Hubbard was selected among women after proving that her testosterone levels were lower than recommended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which was set at 10 nanomols per liter. He will compete in the over 87 kg category in Tokyo. But critics argue that Hubbard enjoys other benefits linked to his past as a human, which makes his presence unreasonable to other competitors.
“We will continue to work with her to ensure that she is supported at all times and that she understands the context in which she operates,” Abbott said.
(AFP)
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