Recently, a women’s cycling competition in Washington state stirred controversy when a team with transgender athletes swept the top three positions, drawing attention to the participation of transgender athletes in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Transgender Athletes Sweep Top 3 in Women’s Cycling Competition
According to reports from Fox News and other outlets, at least three transgender athletes participated in the elite women’s 2-person relay at the Marymoor Grand Prix, held on the 19th at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome (the cycling venue) near Seattle.
The results published on the event website show that the top three teams included MTF transgender people (transgender people who have XY chromosomes but identify as female). The athletes were Jordan Lothrop, Jenna Lingwood, and Eva Lin.
Spectators expressed discomfort as the winners with larger bodies stood out among their competitors.
One female cyclist posted a photo of the winners on her social media and commented that teams consisting of one man and one woman secured the top three spots in a women’s competition. She expressed curiosity about why these mixed teams had an advantage over entirely female teams.
Jordan Lothrop, who won 1st place, competed in a men’s event last year, finishing 22nd among male competitors. Jenna Lingwood, who placed 2nd, also raced as a male until 2017, while 3rd place Eva Lin previously competed on the men’s team at San Jose State University.
International Federation: “Athletes who have undergone surgery after puberty cannot compete.”
Meanwhile, the qualification criteria for transgender athletes who have undergone transsexual surgeries have become stricter to compete in the Paris Olympics, compared to the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
According to OutSports, a media outlet covering LGBTQ+ and sports news, at least 155 LGBTQ+ athletes are estimated to participate in the upcoming games. However, among them, there is no mention of athletes who transitioned from male to female and are competing in the women’s events.
Since the Tokyo Olympics, organizations such as the
World Aquatics (2022) and World Athletics (2023) have prohibited athletes undergoing gender transition surgery after puberty from competing in women’s international events. These organizations argue that those who spent puberty as males retain inherent physical advantages, and this measure ensures fairness for female athletes.
As a result, athletes like Lia Thomas, who won the NCAA women’s swimming freestyle event in 2022, will not be qualified to compete in the Paris Olympics.
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