Weightlifting: Sports Tribunal rejects appeal from trans-gender lifter Laurel Hubbard

New Zealand transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard competing in weightlifting at 2017 World Masters Games, Photo/Doug Sherring

Trans-gender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has lost a case before the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand to compete at next month's Pacific Cup International competition in New Caledonia.

The event, which carries international ranking points, was originally scheduled for December and Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand decided not to send a team, because it sat outside the qualification period for next year's Commonwealth Games.

When the event was brought four months, Hubbard sought permission to attend in an effort to boost her world ranking and push her claims for Games selection.

But the OWNZ executive decided to preserve the integrity of their existing selection criteria and voted not to allow her entry, so Hubbard took her case to the next level.

"The executive group considered that the late notice of the approval may adversely affect those athletes that did not have sufficient time to prepare mentally, financially and/or physically for an event that was unplanned for and unanticipated," said the Tribunal in its decision.

Hubbard claimed the national body had no right to ban athletes from an event they had been invited to.

"While the Tribunal appreciated that the decision by OWNZ may be seen as overly restrictive by some, it accepted that OWNZ must have the ability to create and implement strategies and processes that it believes are best suited in identifying and selecting New Zealand's best weightlifters," said the Tribunal.

"The Tribunal concluded that there was no basis to interfere with a rational and properly available decision by OWNZ. The appeal was accordingly dismissed."

Hubbard was formerly Gavin Hubbard, son of former Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard, before transitioning to female.

Earlier this year, she became the first trans-gender athlete to win an international weightlifting title, when she won the 90kg+ class at the Australian International & Auckland Open in Melbourne.