For the first time in history, a transgender woman will compete in the Paralympic Games.
The Games contain many stories, beautiful, poignant, or unfortunately for some, provoking indignation and controversy. This was the case in particular during the Olympic Games with the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, accused of being “a man” by some of her competitors because of an unsuccessful test a few weeks ago.
For the Paralympic Games, one story is already causing controversy: that of Valentina Petrillo, an Italian Paralympic athlete. In fact, for the first time in history, a transgender athlete will participate in the Paralympic Games. The 50-year-old Italian told the BBC that she will take part in the 200m and 400m in Paris in the T12 category (reserved for athletes with visual impairment), evoking “an important symbol of inclusion”
Having felt like a woman “since the age of 9”, she began a transition process in January 2019 via hormone therapy. “As an athlete, accepting not to go as fast as before is difficult. I had to accept this compromise, because it is a compromise, for my happiness” explains the two-time bronze medalist at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023.
Such a presence provokes indignation from some, but this decision comes from the Italian Paralympic Committee. “I deserve this selection and I want to thank the Italian Paralympic Federation and the Italian Paralympic Committee for always believing in me, first of all as a person and as an athlete” explains Valentina Petrillo to the BBC.
For some of the athletes, this raises a problem of fairness in sporting performance, especially since in the Paralympics, different classifications are established at the level of disabilities to promote this fairness. But for the president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons, the Italian is “welcome, like any other athlete”, in Paris and that he hoped to see the world of sport “unite” on its transgender policies in the coming years as he explained to the BBC.