A rival of the Paralympic Games The first openly transgender runner has spoken out about her opponent’s potential “advantage.”
Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt raised the alarm about the involvement of Valentina Petrillowho he will face in the races for people with visual impairments in Paris 2024.
The inclusion of the Italian in the women’s category, who won bronze in both the women’s 200m and 400m T12 in Last year’s World Para Athletics Championshipshas sparked the latest controversy over gender issues in sport.
The 50-year-old transitioned in 2019 after undergoing hormone therapy, having previously won 11 national titles in three years while competing as a man.
Mueller-Rottgardt told Bild: “Basically, everyone should live everyday life as they feel most comfortable. But I find it difficult in competitive sport.
“She has lived and trained as a man for a long time, so there is a possibility that her physical demands are different than someone who was born a woman. This could give her an advantage.”
Speaking after competing against Petrillo in a recent race, the German added: “For me, that[Petrillo’s gender]wasn’t a focus because it didn’t affect me. I didn’t even notice it because I couldn’t see her.
“It was only after the race that people started talking about how masculine she looked. I can’t judge that.”
Mueller-Rottgardt spoke out after Petrillo was selected to represent Italy at the Paralympic Games in the women’s 200m and 400m T12.
In a statement last week in response to her selection, Petrillo said: “I still find it hard to believe and I remain grounded because I narrowly missed my chance to participate in Tokyo.
“I will only start thinking about the Paris Games when I get to France.”
Before running the 200m and 400m T12, the sprinter told BBC Sport that her participation in the Games was an “important symbol of inclusion”.
Petrillo was diagnosed with Stargardt syndrome at age 14 and his visual abilities are limited to 1/50 of the normal range.
Sports equality activists have previously expressed concerns about Petrillo’s involvement in women’s sport.
But Mariuccia Quilleri, a lawyer and athlete who has represented several competitors opposed to Petrillo’s participation, said inclusion had been chosen over equity and “there’s not much more we can do.”
What are the regulations for the Paralympic Games?
Like the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) effectively allows individual sports bodies to decide their own guidelines on categories for women’s sport.
Last year, World Athletics banned transgender women from competing in the women’s category at international events such as the Olympic Games.
However, under World Para Athletics rules, an athlete legally recognized as a woman is eligible to compete in the category for which her disability qualifies her.
Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), told the BBC that Petrillo was “welcome” in Paris under current World Para Athletics rules.
There is currently no unified position in sport regarding transgender inclusion and, like the IOC, the IPC allows international governing bodies to set their own 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.
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 Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 8 September.
