Furore erupts over trans athlete as Paralympics history made

History has been made at the Paralympics and it has sparked a heated debate with some commentators left fuming over one athlete’s inclusion.

Italian runner Valentina Petrillo has made history at the Paralympics and is now at the centre of an international storm.

The 50-year-old on Tuesday became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympics, winning through to the semi-finals of the T12 400m category.

The visually impaired athlete finished second in her heat, but missed out on a spot in the final when finishing third in her semi-final run on the iconic Stade de France track in Paris.

Even a personal best time 57.58sec was not enough for her to reach the final.

Petrillo suffers from Stargardt disease, a genetic retinal condition which leads to progressive loss of vision. She was first diagnosed with the condition as a 14-year-old.

Her inclusion in the competition has sparked fierce debate around the world with high profile figures criticising her participation in the women’s category.

According to Associated Press, Petrillo was born a male and began her transition in 2019.

She has been competing in para sport since she was 41 and won bronze medals in the 200m and 400m world championship races in 2023. She previously won events when competing in the men’s category.

Valentina Petrillo competes in the T12 women's category. Photo: Jacquelin Magnay.

Valentina Petrillo runs inside the Stade de France. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

While Petrillo has also received a wave of support, many commentators have spoken publicly of their concerns about a transgender athlete competing in the women’s category.

British Olympic silver-medal winning swimmer Sharron Davies suggested Petrillo is competing with an unfair advantage because of her biological condition.

“So we ban Lance Armstrong for taking drugs which will give him a small but important advantage over his male rivals because it’s cheating but we let 51 year old male Valentina Petrillo have a huge advantage with no issue at all against female athletes,” Davies wrote on Twitter.

“Why is this being allowed?”

Outspoken author J.K. Rowling also hit out.

Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility! Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on. #Cheats#NoShamepic.twitter.com/bvqhs3DexI

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 2, 2024

Germany’s Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, who competes in the women’s long jump, said: “Basically, everyone should live in everyday life the way they feel comfortable, but I find it difficult in competitive sports.

“Petrillo has lived and trained as a man for a long time, so there is a possibility that the physical requirements are different to those of someone who was born as a woman.

“This could give an advantage.”

Despite her semi-final elimination, Petrillo is celebrating her historic achievement, The Sun reports.

“The atmosphere in the stadium is great, it’s just a dream come true,” Petrillo said after her heat run.

“We are here finally, it’s September 2, 2024, let’s sign this historical date (in our diary).

“From today I don’t want to hear anything more about discrimination, prejudices against transgender people.

“There are lots of people dying only for being trans, people are killed because they are trans, people commit suicide because they are trans and lose their jobs, or (they are) are not included in sport.

“But I made it. If I can make it, everyone can make it. I thought about Paris from the day I knew I was not making it to Tokyo. I am here now. Finally, I made it.”

JK Rowling has had her say.

In 2017, the disabled star shocked her wife, the mother of their two children, when she revealed she wanted to become a transgender woman – and within two years, she was undergoing hormone therapy.

Running as a male, Petrillo won 11 Italian para-athletics titles but has started to win medals on the international stage since switching to female-only events.

In March 2023, World Athletics – the governing body of able-bodied track-and-field – took a firm stance on this controversial topic.

Officials decided to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who had gone through male puberty from competing in international events for women.

Seb Coe, the president of the governing body, said “decisive action” was taken “to protect the female category in our sport”.

While some might feel that Petrillo has a considerable physical advantage, despite being in her sixth decade on the planet, the International Paralympic Committee refused to implement any ban, saying they do not have any “framework” of rules.

A IPC spokesperson said: “We have had one previous transgender athlete at the Paralympic Games.

“This was a Rio 2016 Paralympian who represented the Netherlands.

“Our framework is very clear. The IPC have no specific rules on transgender.

“It’s the responsibility of the international federations, which is a very similar approach to the IOC (International Olympic Committee).”

— with The Sun