Lydia Valentín's reflection on the participation of trans athletes: "Not everything goes; you start with a biological advantage."

Olympic and world weightlifting championLydia Valentín has expressed her views on the participation of trans athletes in official competitions, believing that "it is not an egalitarian system" because they start out "with a biological advantage."

" Whether you like it or not, you start out with a biological advantage... you were born a certain way, so I don't think it's equal. It's sad, because in the end it's a person who wants to play sports, but exceptions have to be made or alternative competitions... Not everything goes," Lydia herself stated on the LQTD podcast.

The Spanish athlete also recalled an episode experienced at the last Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games with New Zealander Laurel Hubbard , who became the first transgender athlete to participate in an Olympic event: "It was controversial. The girl went white, that is, she did everything null... but she was born a man and it was noticeable because she hadn't been there long. Really, the marks weren't normal. There was controversy, nobody would like to be beaten like that. Not everything is worth it, I consider that not everything is worth it."

Finally, the Olympic champion in Tokyo 2021 and world champion in 2017 and 2018, considered that the creation of a "parallel competition" for trans athletes would be the best option: " I think a parallel competition can be held, just like the Paralympic Games. In the end... everything has to be on a level playing field."