Valentina Petrillo is expected to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympics after the visually impaired sprinter was selected to represent Italy in the women’s 200 and 400 metres races in Paris.
The 50-year-old woman, who transitioned in 2019, She won bronze medals in both events at the World Para Athletics Championships. Last year in Paris. Before the transition, Petrillo won 11 national titles in the men’s category.
“I still find it hard to believe and I am keeping my feet on the ground because I narrowly missed my chance to compete in Tokyo,” Petrillo said in a statement on Monday.
“I will only start thinking about the Paris Games when I get to France.”
Petrillo was diagnosed with Stargardt syndrome at age 14 and his visual abilities are limited to 1/50 of the normal range.
Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), told BBC Sport that while Petrillo is welcome in Paris under World Para Athletics’ policies, he wants to see the sporting world “united” on its transgender policies.
The governing bodies of many sports, including athletics, cycling and swimming, have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions in recent years.
However, the IPC allows governing bodies to set their own policies and World Para Athletics allows a person legally recognised as a woman to compete in the category for which her disability qualifies her.
Critics of transgender inclusion in women’s sports say that going through male puberty gives athletes a huge musculoskeletal advantage that transitioning does not mitigate.
LGBT advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination and that there has not been enough research into the impact of transition on athletic performance.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from 28 August to 8 September.