Laurel Hubbard has become the first openly transgender athlete selected for the Olympics
- June 22, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Laurel Hubbard has become the first openly transgender athlete selected for the Olympics
Subject : Science & tech / Sports
Context :New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has become the first openly transgender athlete selected for the Olympics. Hubbard, 43, had participated in the men’s category as Gavin before coming out in 2013. She will compete in the women’s 87-kilogram class in Tokyo.
Concept :
- The International Olympic Committee’s guidelines on transgender athletes allow those like Hubbard, who have made the transition from male to female, to compete if certain conditions are fulfilled.
- Such athletes, to be eligible to compete in the women’s category, must keep their testosterone levels in the serum to below 10 nanomoles per litre for the preceding 12 months before a competition.
- The athlete will be monitored regularly and non-compliance could result in ineligibility.
Testosterone
- Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males.
- In male humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass, and the growth of body hair.
- In addition, testosterone in both sexes is involved in health and well-being and in the prevention of osteoporosis.
- Insufficient levels of testosterone in men may lead to abnormalities including frailty and bone loss.