Transgender athletes welcome at Montreal's Outgames

Sports officials expect at least 50 transgender athletes at this summer's Outgames in Montreal. Organizers have worked out a policy to include them in all sports, for the first time at an international competition.

The transgender athletes also compete in mainstream competitions, according to Rachel Corbett, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association.

"We have on Canadian national teams, individuals who are competing in a gender other than the one they were born into," Corbett said.

Canadian transgender cyclists Kristen Worley and Michelle Dumaresq made headlines when they fought to compete as women in international competitions.

For the past five months, Corbett has been working with officials from the Canadian Olympic Committee and national team athletes to develop a policy on transgender competition.

She says they'll test a new policy at this summer's Outgames.

"This is our first time and we're going learn things at the Outgames here in Montreal this summer and we're going to make refinements and improvements to our technical policy as we go forwards to next World Outgames," Corbett said.

• WEBSITE: Outgames Montréal 2006

Corbett hopes to implement the policy in mainstream sport, as well.

She says transgender athletes will have to provide an official government document or doctor's note affirming their new gender. They'll also have to prove their sexual transition took place at least two years ago.

The 1st World Outgames will be held from July 26 to Aug. 5, 2006, on 40 sites around Montreal, including the Olympic Stadium, the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard and the Parc Jean-Drapeau.

The Outgames are open to any athlete, not just homosexuals.

Aside from athletic competition in 35 sports, the games will include six different cultural activities and an international conference on human rights.