FACT CHECK: Did New Zealand transgender weightlifter suffer from testicular injury?
Several social media users are sharing images of New Zealand female weightlifter Laurel Hubbard. Users claim that she suffered from a testicular injury just weeks before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Jun 2021 2:50 PM IST
HYDERABAD: Several social media users are sharing images of New Zealand female weightlifter Laurel Hubbard. Users claim that she suffered from a testicular injury just weeks before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"Laurel Hubbard was forced to bid farewell to Olympic dreams yesterday after a tragic accident left her with a severely lacerated testicle," reads the message.
Users have attached an article link to support their claim.
FACT CHECK:
The claim is false.
Laurel Hubbard is a New Zealand transgender weightlifter who has been selected to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She will be the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Games and will compete in the women's 87-kg weightlifting category.
NewsMeter could not find any credible news reports about Hubbard suffering from a testicle injury. There has been no mention of Hubbard suffering from an injury that would prevent her from participating in the upcoming Olympic games.
The article link is related to "The Babylon Bee" which is a conservative Christian news satire website that publishes satirical articles on topics including religion, politics, current events, and public figures. The 'About Us' page clearly states all reports published by the website are a satire.
Hubbard has not suffered from a testicular injury that would prevent her from participating in the upcoming Olympic games. She is eligible to take part in the Olympics.
Thus, the claim is false.
