CANADA.- Amid an unprecedented record at the 2023 Western Canadian Weightlifting Championships, a debate has been fueled around the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions.

Weightlifter April Hutchinson, with four years of experience in the Canadian Weightlifting Union, sparked a controversy by calling the victory of Anne Andres, a trans woman who She surpassed the second place winner by more than 200 kilograms.

Hutchinson, who has expressed opposition to trans women’s participation in weightlifting, argued in an interview on Talk TV that the practice lacks strict regulations:

My boyfriend could basically come in tomorrow, identify as a woman, compete, and then go back to being a man the next day. “You don’t need any proof, or ID, just act based on how you feel that day or what gender you want to be,” she said.

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The controversy revolved around the incredible performance of Anne Andres, who, at age 40, set an all-time record by lifting a total of 597.5 kilograms in squats, bench press and deadlift. His feat was surpassed by more than 200 kilos to its closest rivalSuJan Gill, setting a new women’s national record at the championship.

“It’s the bodies that play”

Hutchinson, in this regard, expressed his dissatisfaction with the broken record: “It has been the national assessment is very discouraging that he broke. Athletes have been looking for this for years. “And we’re talking about top athletes who have trained and trained.”

Additionally, Hutchinson noted that some competitors they chose to withdraw because they knew Andres would be competing.

This is completely unfair. It’s bodies that play sport, not identities. Remember, bodies are biology, not identities that play sports,” Hutchinson said.