The report said Hubbard was effectively guaranteed a spot in the women’s super heavyweight category after the International Olympic Committee approved an amendment to the qualifying system due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been eligible to compete in the Olympics since 2015, when the IOC issued new guidelines allowing any transgender athlete to compete as a woman provided their testosterone levels are below 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months before their first competition. Weightlifting has been at the centre of the debate over the fairness of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, and Hubbard's presence in Tokyo is set to attract huge media attention as well as criticism from fellow lifters and coaches.