Martina Navratilova, the tennis great, slammed Italian athlete Valentina Petrillo for being a “pathetic cheater”, as she prepares to be the first transgender female to compete at the Paralympics in a week.
Navratilova – a vocal advocate for women’s sports rights – took to social media to criticize Petrillo. She is scheduled to compete in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris in the 200 and 400-meter women’s races under the T12 classification.
Navratilova wrote on X: “Petrillo’s a pathetic cheater.”
Petrillo is a pathetic cheater. https://t.co/7vaDMmz1Bg
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) August 22, 2024
In an earlier posting, Navratilova responded to a video in which Petrillo spoke about the Summer Games. She said that it was “sickening,” the Italian runner “stealing women’s trophies.”
“Yet again, a male is stealing women’s awards.” In [the] Paralympics, no less. Sickening.”
Petrillo was diagnosed as a teenager with Stargardt, a degenerative condition of the eyes. The Italian athlete, who competed in men’s T12 categories between 2015 and 2018, won 11 national titles as a man before deciding to transition.
Petrillo, in a recent The Associated Press interview, said: “I started transitioning in 2019, and in 2020, I realized my dreams, which were to race in female categories, to do the sports that I loved doing.” “I was 50 when it happened… We all deserve a second chance in life.”
World Athletics last year banned trans athletes who transitioned post-puberty from participating in women’s sports. World Para Athletics has not done the same, allowing Petrillo to become the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics.
According to AP, transgender athletes competing in women’s competitions must declare their gender identity as female for sports purposes and provide proof that their testosterone levels were below 10 nanomoles/liter for at least 12 months before their competition.
Some competitors have voiced publicly their concerns about Petrillo’s participation in women’s events. The sprinter is aware of the issue.
Petrillo said to the AP, “I asked myself, ‘But Valentina. If you were a woman and saw a Valentina race with you, what do you think?’ I replied that I too would have doubts.” “But through my experiences and the things I learned, I can clearly state… that just because I am a man does not mean I’m stronger than a female.”
Petrillo will compete in the finals for the 400-meter and 200-meter sprints on September 3 and 7.
