RIZAL, Philippines – Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas president Monico Puentevella on Wednesday, November 15, called for the ban of transgender people in Philippine sports.

Appearing in the hearing of House Committee on Youth and Sports Development, Puentevella urged lawmakers to file a bill that will prohibit transgender athletes from competing.

“Two of our biggest problems in international weightlifting are doping and transgender [people],” said Puentevella, a former mayor and congressman of Bacolod City, in Filipino.

“I would like to request that another congressman can file a bill not allowing transgender [people] in Philippine sports.”

Major international sports bodies, however, have been more welcoming of transgender people in recent years.

New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics when she saw action in the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Hubbard, though, failed to register a lift in the women’s +87 kg category.

In the same Games, Quinn became the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete to medal in the Olympics as they helped the Canada women’s football team strike gold.

Quinn also became the first transgender and non-binary athlete to compete in the FIFA Women’s World Cup as they suited up for Canada in the previous edition held in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year.

Still, the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports has become a polarizing topic as sports federations continue to tweak rules to address competitive fairness.

This year, World Athletics banned transgender women in elite events, a move replicated by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

FINA, the governing body for swimming, voted last year to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s events, although it created a working group assigned to establish an “open” category. – Rappler.com