Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter J.K. Rowling is among a number of voices including former Olympic athletes decrying the inclusion of a trans sprinter in the women’s sprinting category at the Paris Paralympics.
51-year-old Petrillo Valentino Petrillo is set to represent Italy in the women’s T12 400m category after qualifying for the semi-finals on Monday.
The semi-finals are set to take place later on Monday followed by the finals on Tuesday. Petrillo, who is visually impaired, is also competing in the women’s T12 200M category.
According to the BBC, between 2015 and 2018 Petrillo previously won 11 national titles in the men’s T12 category for athletes with visual impairment.