Valentina Petrillo, a transgender athlete, makes history with the official selection for Paris Paralympics 2024.
Recently, in a groundbreaking moment for inclusivity in sports, Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo was officially selected to compete in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
The 50-year-old athlete will make history as the first openly transgender individual to participate in the Paralympics.
Transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo suffered from Stargardt’s syndrome
Petrillo was diagnosed with Stargardt’s syndrome, a rare eye condition that causes progressive vision loss, at the age of 14.
Stargardt’s syndrome is an eye disease passed down from parents to their kids. It causes vision loss in young people.
The disease affects the macula, which is the center part of the eye. In people with Stargardt’s, the light-sensing cells in the macula stop working.
This leads to blurry or dark spots in the center of vision. It also makes it hard to see colors well.
Stargardt’s is an inherited condition. It is often called juvenile macular dystrophy since it usually starts in childhood or young adulthood.
The 50-year-old Transgender athlete has had an impressive athletic career.
Between 2015 and 2018, she won 11 national titles in the male T12 category for athletes with visual impairment.
In 2019, Petrillo began her medical transition, starting hormone therapy.
Valentina Petrillo shared that she knew she was a woman from the age of 9.
She started living as a woman in 2018 before beginning hormone therapy in 2019. In simpler terms, Petrillo has known her gender identity from a young age.
Last year, she competed in the women’s category at the World Para Athletics Championships, winning two bronze medals.
Now, officials have confirmed her historic selection for the 2024 Paralympics in the T12 200m and 400m events.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for three years and I’ve done everything possible to earn it,” Petrillo said.
“As a person and an athlete, being the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics holds historic value.
“It serves as an important symbol of inclusion.”
She became the first transgender athlete officially selected for Paris Paralympics 2024
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has welcomed Petrillo’s selection.
IPC President Andrew Parsons stated that World Para Athletics rules allow her to compete, and they will treat her like any other athlete.
He emphasized that it is fair to treat transgender athletes with respect.
“For the moment World Para Athletics rules allow her to compete, so she will be welcome as any other athlete.
[Petrillo] will be welcome as any other athlete. I think it is just fair that we treat [transgender athletes] respectfully,” he said.
The decision to let Petrillo compete in the women’s category shows the IPC’s dedication to inclusion and diversity.
Unlike World Athletics, which has set limits on transgender women’s participation, the IPC has not made such a rule.
Their guidelines say that any athlete legally recognized as a woman can compete.
Petrillo emphasized that her gender identity is not a choice, but a fundamental part of who she is.
“This is not a lifestyle choice for me, this is who I am,” she said.
“Transgender people, like myself, should not face discrimination for not feeling they belong to their biological gender.
Discrimination against anyone based on their race, religion, or political beliefs is also unacceptable.”
Petrillo responded to concerns about possible advantages for transgender athletes.
She noted that in the seven years since they have been allowed to compete in the female category, very few have stood out for their sports results.