Who is the first out trans athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games.
Sprinter Valentina Petrillo
was chosen to represent Italy at the Paris 2024 Paralympics
and will compete in the women’s T12 classification
for athletes with visual impairments.
Petrillo was diagnosed at the age of 14 with Stargardt disease,
a degenerative eye condition for which there is no cure.
The 50 year old, who is set to compete in the T12 200 and 400 m sprints,
first underwent gender affirming care in January 2019
when she started hormone replacement therapy.
She told BBC Sport
the historic value of being the first transgender woman
to compete at the Paralympics
is an important symbol of inclusion.
This is not a lifestyle choice for me,
this is who I am. She added that everyone will have their questions,
but only a minority will understand
her lived experience as a trans athlete.
Before transitioning, Valentina won 11 national titles
and last year she won bronze medals in both events
at the World Para Athletics Championships.
In 2021, over 30 athletes signed a petition
sent to the president of the Italian Athletics Federation
attempting to challenge
Petrillo’s right to compete in women’s competitions.
Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee,
said that Petrillo is welcome in Paris
under the current World Power athletics policy,
which states that a person who is legally recognised as a woman
is eligible to compete in their impairment qualified category.
However, he added that he wants the sporting
World to unite on its transgender policies
as there is currently
no cohesion between the various governing bodies.
The 2024 Paris Paralympics will run from August 28th to September 8th.