43 year old Laurel Hubbard’s inclusion “does not violate the current rules on the books,” the committee ruled, according to the New York Post. She would be the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, despite the fact that transgender athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since 2015.
IOC head Thomas Bach commented: “The rules for qualification have been established by the International Weightlifting Federation before the qualifications started. These rules apply, and you cannot change rules during ongoing competitions.”