The Olympics have found themselves mired in controversy, particularly when it comes to recognizing women and the beautiful and unique things that the woman's body does.
Yes, I am talking about how Laurel Hubbard, a biological man weight lifter from New Zealand, qualified for the women's team for the Tokyo Olympics, as Carson reported last week. While Hubbard did qualify, Carson noted that the qualifications have been criticized. As he wrote:
The athlete, 43-year-old Laurel Hubbard, qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics on Monday when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that the weightlifter’s testosterone levels had been lower than the required 10 nanomoles per liter for the last year — in accordance with a 2015 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) rule that was adopted by the IOC. However, some scientists have criticized this rule, arguing that it does little to address men's natural advantages of height and bone density.
When CeCe Telfer, a transgender runner did not qualify for the Olympic trials, as I reported, the USA Track and Field team could hardly hide how badly they hoped she would be able to compete in the futuer.
According to the AP:
In its statement, USATF said it “strongly supports inclusivity and providing a clear path to participation in the sport for all, while also maintaining competitive fairness.”
“If CeCe meets the conditions for transgender athlete participation in the future, we wholeheartedly back her participation in international events as a member of Team USATF,” the statement said.
Yet when it comes to biological women, the Olympics initially refused to let Kim Gaucher, a Canadian Olympic basketball player, breastfeed her daughter, as Landon reported. The cited reason? COVID-19 restrictions barr family members from attending the games with athletes.
As the International Olympic Committee said in a statement to Canadian outlet CBC:
"The Tokyo Olympic Games are understandably being conducted with an unprecedented focus on health and safety. This includes Japanese borders being closed to overseas visitors, family and friends."
If the IOC would deny a breastfeeding mother access to her 3-year old daughter, then they don't get to say that what they're doing is "understandabl[e]."
As Gaucher mentioned, Japanese fans are allowed to attend the games.
Ultimately, Gaucher will be allowed to attend with her daughter. Other breastfeeding mothers will also be able to bring their children, as CBC reported on Wednesday:
"I'm just really happy. I'm just really happy that the right decisions have been made. Being a mom is really hard but it's also one of the best jobs that I could have," Gaucher said Wednesday on a video call from Tampa, Fla., where the team is training at the Toronto Raptors' temporary training facility. COVID restrictions in Alberta prevented the team from centralizing at its usual home in Edmonton.
"To all of the working moms out there who've had to fight this fight before, I think it's just a really good day for women in sport today."
The IOC expressed how thrilled they were in a statement, though they tried to place the responsibility and blame elsewhere:
The IOC had previously stipulated that no family could travel to Tokyo due to COVID-19 restrictions, but Gaucher pointed out that international media and sponsors can travel to Tokyo and a capped number of Japanese spectators will be allowed in venues.
"Japanese fans are going to be in attendance, the arenas are going to be half-full, but I will not have access to my daughter?" Gaucher asked in the video.
"We've tried appeals. Everyone says they're on board, but nobody can do anything. Let's see if we can make a difference. It's 2021. Let's make working moms normal."
"It is great to see so many mothers compete at the highest level, including at the Olympic Games," said an IOC spokesperson in a statement. "It is important to note that entry into Japan is the responsibility of the Japanese government and the current situation of the pandemic requires a very significant reduction in the numbers of accredited participants who do not have essential and operational responsibilities."
Pandemic or not, being a mom and competing as an athlete is not always something welcomed in sports. Up until 2019, Nike actually financially penalized athletes who had become pregnant. The news came not long after Allyson Felix, who won nine Olympic track medals, had an opinion piece published in The New York Times detailing how she was pressured to return shortly after giving birth and that Nike wanted to pay her significantly less after she had her daughter.
Nike also lost Olympic winning gymnast Simone Biles after she decided to partner with Gap's Athleta.
According to The Wall Street Journal:
Biles did not directly criticize Nike in an interview, but emphasized what had attracted her to Athleta.
“I felt like it wasn’t just about my achievements, it’s what I stood for and how they were going to help me use my voice and also be a voice for females and kids,” she said. “I feel like they also support me, not just as an athlete, but just as an individual outside of the gym and the change that I want to create, which is so refreshing.”
