The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) issued an ultimatum to the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) warning the union to abide by its rules regarding men competing against women — which could mean a transgender powerlifter could be banned from the sport.
IPF President Gaston Parage told The Daily Mail that his organization issued the ultimatum on Monday, pointing out that IPF rules state “no lifter should have an unfair and disproportionate advantage over another athlete.”
“It is important to do that because we worked out the transgender policy we wanted to make sure that we don’t discriminate against women,” Parage declared. “It is needed to have such a policy to make sure if a transgender competes, that it is fair to the women. That is how we worked out the transgender policy.”
“It’s different in different sports; we are a strength sport so of course, it is different from other sport and so we worked out a long time this policy but Canada never did follow that policy,” he continued. “They risk to be suspended if they do not follow that policy.”
IPF rules state that a man competing against women, which refer to a man identifying as a woman as “her,” must “demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been equal or below 2.4 nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) and/or free testosterone equal or below 0.433 nmol/dL (or at or below the upper limit of normal of a particular laboratory reference) for at least 12 months prior to her first competition …”
“The athlete’s total testosterone level in serum must remain at or below 2.4 nmol/litre (nmol/L) and free testosterone at or below 0.433 nmol/L (or at or below the upper limit of normal of the laboratory reference) throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category,” the rules continue. “Compliance with these conditions must be monitored by testing at interval as determined by IPF Medical Commission. In the event of non-compliance, the athlete’s eligibility for female competition is suspended and reapplication for validity to compete in female category is required. “
The IPF warning follows powerlifter April Hutchinson firing a salvo targeting transgender powerlifter Anne Andres after he reportedly set a women’s national powerlifting record and an unofficial women’s world record at a championship in Brandon, Manitoba.
Andres, 40, had a total powerlifting score (based on the total of the heaviest weight lifted for the bench press, and deadlift and squat) of 597.5kg, (roughly 1,317 pounds) over 200 kg more than the top-ranked woman, SuJan Gil, who had a score of 387.5kg (854 pounds), at the Canadian Powerlifting Union’s 2023 Western Canadian Championship, according to Reduxx.
“Andres’ total would have placed him amongst the top-performing male powerlifters in the entire championship had he participated in the men’s category,” Reduux pointed out.
This is NOT a legitimate 🇨🇦National Record.
This is a mediocre lift by a mediocre male who is being allowed to lift against women because… hair colour? 🤔
Shame on the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU).
This is discrimination against the female competitors.#SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/F8mdFpnz01— International Consortium on Female Sport (ICFS) (@ICFSport) August 14, 2023
“It’s been very disheartening,” April Hutchinson, a Canadian competitive powerlifter, said on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “For example, that national record that he broke — athletes have been chasing that for years. And we’re talking top athletes who have been training, and training, and training. It goes to show the advantages, the physiological advantages that a male has over a female, whether it’s muscle mass, bone density, lung capacity. I could go on.”
“A lot of women yesterday dropped out of the competition because they knew that Anne would be lifting,” Hutchinson continued. “They dropped, they quit, they wrote to the federation, and the federation basically did nothing about it.”
"A lot of women yesterday dropped out of the competition because they knew that Anne [Andres] would be lifting."
Powerlifter April Hutchinson says the federation is 'doing nothing' amid concerns over a trans woman competing in the female category.@Lea_Christina4 | @RooLockwood pic.twitter.com/otFLjpMllM
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) August 14, 2023