Mexico City.- Several former accomplished athletes have joined writer and author JK Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter universe, in her criticism of Italian transgender sprinter Valentina Petrillo.
Petrillo, who on Monday qualified for the women’s 400-meter (T12) semifinals, which will be held on the same day, was described by the writer as a “cheater.”
The Italian, now 51, competed as a male athlete until she was 45, even winning several national titles for her performance. She even had two children before identifying as a woman. “Why so much anger towards the inspiring Petrillo? The cheating community has never had this kind of visibility! Outspoken and proud cheaters like Petrillo prove that the era of cheater shaming is over. What a role model!” Rowling wrote on her official X account.
“I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on.”
Petrillo, who is visually impaired, can compete as a sprinter in the women’s T12 category because World Para Athletics allows all athletes legally recognised as female to participate. To qualify, athletes must provide evidence that their testosterone level has been below the norm for at least one year. “From today, I don’t want to hear anything more about discrimination or prejudice against transgender people,” Petrillo said after she qualified for the semi-finals on Monday at a news conference. “There are many people who die just for being trans, people who are killed because they are trans, people commit suicide because they are trans and lose their jobs, or are not included in sport. But I did it. If I could do it, everyone can do it.” Award-winning tennis player Martina Navratilova, who currently works as a commentator for Sky Sports, also harshly criticised Petrillo’s participation. “This ‘inclusive’ policy, in the name of being progressive, is actually regressive as it excludes women – by biology! You won’t find women who identify as men taking the place of men by biology. Men and women are different. Period,” Navratilova said on social media.
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