Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games.
Picture: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
She was diagnosed with Stargardt's syndrome at 14 years old, a degenerative disease which causes parts of the retina to stop working.Petrillo, who began living as a woman in 2018 before commencing hormone therapy in 2019, said she was pleased to compete in the Games after marginally missing selection for the Olympics in 2020.
“I have been waiting for this day for three years and in these past three years I have done everything possible to earn it,” she told BBC Sport. A person legally recognised as a woman is eligible to compete in the category their impairment qualifies them for, according to World Para Athletics' rules. World Athletics president Lord Coe said its rules were in place to"maintain fairness for female athletes above all other consideration".
World Para Athletics Anti-Transgender Valentina Petrillo Sport Athletics Italian Paralympic Federation International Paralympic Committee Paralympics Paris
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