Avi Silverberg’s actions have received criticism.
Avi Silverberg entered the women’s race and set a new record. Illustration image. PDO
Avi Silverberg entered the women’s weightlifting competition in Canada at the end of March and set a new record.
Silverberg has coached the Canadian national team for years and competed as a woman in Lethbridge, Alberta.
The sports activist organization Independent Council on Women’s Sports (Icons) shared a video on its Twitter account, in which Silvergberg walks to the venue with a beard. He was also wearing men’s lifting gear.
After that, Silverberg lifts about 168 kilograms in the bench press. The previous women’s bench press record in that lifting class, 84+ kg, was 124 kg.
It was done by a trans athlete Anne Andreswho also holds the deadlift record to his name.
At the time of Silverberg’s performance, Andres was working as a volunteer at the event.
Icons says The New York Post according to that “for example, Silverberg’s actions remove all honesty from women’s competitions”.
– It doesn’t matter how he expresses himself. He clearly doesn’t belong in women’s sports, and neither does any other man, regardless of his motivations for wanting to participate.
According to the New York Post story, it is unclear whether Silverberg presented an identification card accepted by Canadian authorities identifying her as a woman.
Anders posted on his Instagram account the video, in which he called Silverberg a coward. Anders told also that he has already changed his gender years ago in gender reassignment surgery.
– I can prove without any doubt that I have gone through all the steps. I really care about women’s sports because I’m a woman, she wrote alongside her video.
Bodybuilding influencer Greg Doucette also stated how ridiculous it was that the man could compete so easily.
– A guy can just show up and then set a record. Doesn’t that prove it’s not fair? Doucette according to the New York Post.