Canada’s Quinn to become first trans Olympic medallist

Canada’s Quinn to become first trans Olympic medallist

The Malaysian Reserve-Sports·2021-08-06 15:02

by Neil SANDS / AFP

TOKYO – Canadian footballer Quinn (picture; left) will become the first openly transgender athlete to win an Olympic medal on Friday in another trailblazing moment at the Tokyo Games for the marginalised community.

Quinn — who goes by a single name and uses the pronouns “they” and “their” — will play in the women’s gold-medal match against Sweden, guaranteeing a medal regardless of the result.

The 25-year-old has a long history with the Canadian team, debuting in 2014 and winning bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, but only came out as transgender last year.

“I wanted to be my authentic self in all spheres of my life and one of those is being in a public space,” Quinn said at the time. 

“So that was one of the reasons behind it, because I was tired of being misgendered and everything like that.”

The player’s pioneering status at the Tokyo Games has until now largely been overshadowed by the presence of transgender New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard.

Hubbard, whom the International Olympic Committee acknowledges became the first openly trans woman to compete at the Olympics on Monday — set off a firestorm of debate over her appearance.

Critics argued the New Zealander had physical advantages locked into her body from her developmental years as a male, making it unfair for her to compete against female-born lifters.

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