Italian runner Petrillo will be the first transgender athlete in Paralympic history

Italian runner Valentina Petrillo will become the first transgender athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games, as reported by a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.

The 50-year-old athlete has been selected to represent Italy at the Paris Paralympics, where she will compete in the 200 and 400-meter events.

Petrillo, who competes in the category for athletes with visual impairments, transitioned in 2019. Last year, she won bronze medals in both events at the World Championships. Before her transition, Petrillo won 11 national titles in the men's category.

“I still find it hard to believe it and I’m keeping my feet on the ground because my chance to participate in Tokyo was missed by a whisker,” Petrillo said to NBC News.

“I will only start thinking about the Paris Games once I arrive in France.”

Diagnosed with Stargardt’s syndrome at the age of 14, Petrillo’s visual abilities are limited to 1/50th of the normal range.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons told BBC Sport that while Petrillo is welcome in Paris under World Para Athletics policies, he wants to see the sporting world “unite” on its transgender policies.

The governing bodies of many sports including athletics, cycling and swimming have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions over the last couple of years.

However, the IPC allows governing bodies to set their own policies and World Para Athletics permits an individual legally recognized as a woman to compete in the category for which their impairment qualifies them.

Critics of transgender inclusion in women’s sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge musculo-skeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate.

The 2024 Paris Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 8.