J.K. Rowling and female ex-athletes are among those criticizing the inclusion of transgender Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo in the Paris Paralympics.
Rowling, the Harry Potter author, described Petrillo as a “cheat” after she qualified for the women’s T12 400m semi-finals on Monday.
Petrillo will feature in the semi-finals this evening. Petrillo, 51, competed as a male athlete until the age of 45, winning national titles in men’s track and field.
The visually-impaired sprinter had two children before identifying as a woman. Petrillo is allowed to compete in the women’s T12 field because World Para Athletics allows those legally recognized as a woman to take part.