A German weightlifter who has undergone a surgery to become a woman, has requested the International Olympic Committee to compete as woman during the next Olympic Games.
Reportedly, the German Olympic committee has submitted a request on behalf of Frieda Wunder, who competed in the London Olympics in 2012 as a man, under her birth name of Hanz Wullschleger. He finished 17th in the middleweight category of the men’s weightlifting competition.
The transgender athlete says that he is now “a real and complete woman” and demands the right to compete in the female category.
“I was born a man, but now I am a woman, and I want to be recognized as a woman,” said the German athlete to the reporters. “It’s about time for the Olympic committee to accept that we now live in the 21st century and that the sexual identity is not black or white anymore.”
The 26-year old transgender and professional weightlifter from Munich, believes that the gendered events of the Olympic Committee should be revised.
“Before my transformation into a woman and surgery, I was a depressed woman in a man’s body, but I accepted the situation and competed as a man,” says Ms Wunder. “Now, I am a young and passionate woman in a woman’s body, but they still want me to compete as a man. This is ridiculous! I should have the right to compete with other female athletes.”
This preliminary audience with the representatives of the IOC lasted slightly more than an hour, and procedures are expected to continue on Monday, with the testimony of medical experts. The entire process is expected to take up to two weeks, but most experts consider that Ms Wunder’s chances of winning are very slim.
Olympics are reportedly adopting a new policy that opens the field of competition to transgender athletes.