VALENTINA PETRILLO is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games.
Petrillo, 50, is a visually impaired sprinter who has been selected by Italy to compete in women’s 200m and 400m in Paris.
GettyValentina Petrillo has been given the go-ahead to compete in the Paralympics[/caption]
GettyPetrillo won bronze at the World Para Athletics last year[/caption]
The sprinter won bronze medals in both events at the World Para Athletics Championships last year in Paris.
That feat saw her become the first openly transgender athlete to win a track and field medal on a global stage.
Before transitioning and beginning hormone therapy in 2019, she won 11 titles at men’s national level.
Petrillo came close to making the Italy squad for the Tokyo 2020 games but narrowly missed out on the roster.
She says she is using the near miss of making those games as motivation this time around.
Petrillo said: “I still find it hard to believe it and I’m keeping my feet on the ground because my chance to participate in Tokyo was missed by a whisker.
“I will only start thinking about the Paris Games once I arrive in France.”
Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of 14, Petrillo’s visual abilities are limited to 1/50th of the normal range.
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She will compete in the women’s T12 classification – for athletes with visual impairment.
Asked about Petrillo’s likely inclusion at the upcoming games last week, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president, Andrew Parsons, said he was “prepared for criticism” around Petrillo’s selection.
He also appealed for a uniform stance on transgender athletes competing at international games.
Parsons said: “I am prepared for the criticism. But again we need to respect our rules, we cannot disrespect our rules.
“So sometimes as an individual I think one way or another, but we need to follow our constitution, we need to follow our own rules and in the specific sports the rules of the international federations need to be respected.
“So for the moment World Para Athletics rules allow her to compete, so she will be welcome as any other athlete.”
He added: “I think it is just fair that we treat [transgender athletes] respectfully. But I do think science should give us the answer, because we also want to be fair with the other athletes in the field of play. It is a very difficult question. And science hopefully will be able to give us the answer. And what I would like to see in the future is that the whole of sport has a united position on it.”