A transgender athlete could be banned from powerlifting after Canada’s sports union was ordered to coordinate with the governing body on gender issues.
The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) issued an ultimatum to the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) on Monday after Anne Andres bested her female competitors at an event earlier in the month, grinning as she took to the podium.
IPF rules state that participants must prove their gender identity with government-issued identification and disclose their testosterone levels, reflecting similar guidelines from international sports federations.
The move comes after Hutchinson expressed her frustration in a heated opinion piece for in which she advocated fairness in sport and slammed Andres for mocking her rivals as “weak”.
“It’s bodies that exercise, not identities.” I don’t care about the rest, but when it comes to exercise, it’s about the body, biology, science and strength, especially when it comes to powerlifting,” Hutchinson said today.
“There was no politics.” Anyone could go up. A man could come in tomorrow, identify as “a girl,” then just do strength training, and then be a man again. No testosterone monitoring.’
Last week, 40-year-old Andres, who currently holds multiple women’s powerlifting records, competed in the Canadian Powerlifting Union’s 2023 Western Canadian Championship. Her total powerlifting score was 1,500 pounds (the sum total of the heaviest weights she lifted in the squat, bench press, and deadlift). That was more than 200kg than her closest competitor, SuJan Gill, at 387.5kg.
April Hutchinson voiced her concerns in an editorial last week and is now overjoyed to learn the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) has been instructed to follow official guidelines
Transgender athlete Anne Andres (above) weighed 200 pounds and lifted 314 pounds in 2019. Today, Andres weighs nearly 260 pounds and deadlifts over 500 pounds
Andres took the podium, which featured a T-Rex – a dig at her competitors after she slammed one for having “little T-Rex arms” and criticized women for being “bad “ be in this sport. She is pictured alongside the only two female contestants in the competition after women refused to compete against her
Last year, Andres also poked fun at her female competitors in a video, asking why the women’s bench press is “so bad,” before saying another powerlifter had “tiny little T-Rex arms.”
The footage also featured the powerlifter, who described herself as a “t****y freak,” so she “doesn’t count” in her “controversial opinion.”
She said, “Standard bench press in a women’s powerlifting competition, I literally don’t understand why that is.” [sic] so bad.’
At this year’s competition, she stood on a podium with a T-Rex toy alongside the only two women who would compete against her after two others dropped out.
But Andres could be eliminated from the sport if the CPU meets the ultimatum, or risk being suspended if it fails to meet the ultimatum.
Gaston Parage, the IPF President, confirmed to that he issued the ultimatum on Monday and his rules state that “no lifter should have an unfair and disproportionate advantage over another athlete”.
“It’s important because we created the transgender policy, which we used to make sure we didn’t discriminate against women.” Such a policy is needed to ensure that women are treated fairly when a transgender person competes. “That’s how we worked out the transgender policy,” he said.
“It’s different in different sports, we’re a power sport so obviously it’s different from other sports and that’s why we worked out that policy for a long time, but Canada has never followed that policy.”
“They run the risk of being suspended if they don’t follow this policy.”
Now those transitioning from male to female can compete against women if they have declared they are transgender and hold a valid female-gender passport. The declaration cannot be changed for a period of at least four years for reasons of competition, the IPF guidelines state.
A number of other conditions are described, including the monitoring of testosterone levels through tests that also need to stay below a certain limit.
IPF President Gaston Parage confirmed to that a message had been sent to Canada urging it to follow official guidelines.
“This is important because we designed the transgender policy to make sure we didn’t discriminate against women,” he said.
“It is necessary to have such a policy to ensure that it is fair to women when a transgender person competes. “That’s how we worked out the transgender policy,” he said.
“It’s different in different sports, we’re a power sport, so obviously it’s different from other sports and that’s why we worked out this policy for a long time, but Canada has never followed that policy.” You run the risk of being suspended if they do not follow this policy.”
has reached out to Shane Martin, President of the Canadian Powerlifting Union, for comment.
Hutchinson believes it is “very strict” to enforce the policy.
“It’s about protecting women.” “The IPF stepped in. She doesn’t believe in discrimination against women and that’s not fair, so this policy is a step in the right direction for women, girls and sport,” she said.
“Right now that means Anne can’t lift.” [She] “I have to apply and go through all the tests and get all the medical paperwork – that could take years.”
Hutchinson was scheduled to face Andres at the Canadian Nationals in February. She didn’t show up.
It wasn’t until the couple fell out over transgender New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard (above)’s participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that Hutchinson learned Andres was a biological man
Hutchinson told that she and Andres used to be friends but claims she had no idea she was born a natural male and eventually changed after she was 20.
One day, the two fell out over New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard – the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics – when Hutchinson found out that Andres was also transgender.
“I had no idea he was a man. “I refused to compete against him,” she said.
She said Andre’s competitions created an unlevel playing field in her sport, with others who shared the same view protesting her events or not attending at all.
“Andres was taking podiums and basically breaking records, that shouldn’t be.”
“Women just don’t have fair opportunities in sport, there’s no equality.” Why spend money on federations or a sport when you’re just prepared to fail or lose when a man just has so many physical advantages?
“There’s a reason sport has men’s and women’s divisions.” We deserve to play fair sport and have men in our sport. I mean it’s, it’s not fair.
“There’s a reason the Paralympics have different categories – men, women, weight classes.”
For more than a year, Hutchinson has been writing letters and trying to make her voice heard.
She has been working with the IPF for six months and hopes for changes.
“I believe transgender athletes should have a place to train — they just need a separate category, they need to be in their own division,” she said.
“There has to be a level playing field.” I burst into tears when I found out. I’ve lost so much sleep over the past two years knowing there was a man running in my federation.
“When I first did this fight, I felt so alone, I was so scared and afraid.” It’s amazing what speaking can do. “So many people are afraid and shouldn’t be afraid.”
🏋️Anne Andres, a transgender male, is Alberta, Canada’s record holder in women’s powerlifting on the bench
🚨competes next month in the Women’s category at the 2023 CPU National Championships🚩 Doesn’t recognize the differences in upper body strength between men and women
🧵 pic.twitter.com/DYEyEWZTLr– ICONS (@icons_women) January 4, 2023
Last week Hutchinson expressed what she thinks about Andres taking part in a local competition and securing the top spot.
“A grinning 1.9m tall Anne Andres took the podium at the Canadian Powerlifting Union Women’s Regional Championships in early August and took the gold medal.”
“What was so funny I’ll never know.” But surely women are treated like a joke.
“Andres, a transsexual, lifted 1,327 pounds, calculated from the combined weight of three exercises: squat, bench press and deadlift, beating the closest competitors by a whopping 470 pounds.”
“The top 20 male competitors lift over 2,000 pounds.” If Andres competed against them, Andres wouldn’t even finish in the top 6,000.
“But Andres’ deadlift was the second highest in women’s weightlifting history.” “It was doubly shocking because the athletes who break records in my sport are in their 20s to early 30s.”
Now Hutchinson hopes the work she put in during the campaign will pay off: “It means more to me than any medal I could ever win.” Being able to change that policy is probably my greatest achievement in life.
“I have two nieces that I want to protect and they are six years old.”
“When they grow up they will have a fair and safe sport for girls and women.”