Paris Paralympics: Valentina Petrillo Set To Become First Transgender Paralympian

Petrillo competes in the women’s T12 classification for athletes with visual impairments, which was transitioned five years ago in 2019. 

The 50-year-old sprinter will run in T12 200m as well as 400m. 

Speaking to BBC Sport, the Italian described the participation at the event as an "important symbol of inclusion".

However, Mariuccia Quilleri, a lawyer and an athlete who has represented athletes who are against Petrillo’s participation in women’s races, said that the decision was made against fairness and there is not much more we can do".

Petrillo won two bronze medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023, and is set to compete at the Paralympic Games that gets underway from August 28 and will run till September 8.

At the moment, there is no unified position towards the inclusion of transgender athletes in sport.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allows sporting bodies to come up with their own policies. 

The World Athletics has banned transgender women from participating in the women’s female category, while under the the World Para Athletics - if a person is eligible to compete in the category their impairment qualifies them if they are legally recognised as a woman