Brett Favre says transgender athletes shouldn't be allowed to compete in the Olympics as women

• Brett Favre spoke out against multiple transgender Olympic athletes on his podcast.
• Favre said transgender athletes competing in women's sports was unfair to the other women.
• He cited weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who will be the first openly transgender Olympic athlete.

Brett Favre says he doesn't think it's fair for transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics as women.

The Hall of Fame NFL quarterback on Tuesday spoke out against multiple athletes competing in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics during his podcast "Bolling with Favre."

Favre addressed the New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who will become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics after being selected to compete in the women's super-heavyweight category.

Hubbard competed in men's events before coming out as transgender in 2013.

"It's a man competing as a woman," Favre said. "That's unfair."

Hubbard became eligible to compete at the Olympics in 2015 when the International Olympic Committee changed its rules around transgender athletes. Updated IOC policy now allows people assigned male at birth to compete in women's events without requiring sex-reassignment surgery if they have fewer than 10 nanomoles of testosterone per liter in their blood.

"It's not fair for a man, even if this person wants to be a woman or feels compelled - if you want to become the opposite sex, that's fine. I got no problem with it," Favre said. "But you can't compete against - males cannot compete against females."

"If I was a true female - I can't believe I'm saying that - and I was competing in weightlifting and lost to this person, I would be beside myself," he later added.

Favre also spoke out against the transgender BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe, who was selected as an alternate to Team USA's BMX freestyle event on Monday. Wolfe was accused of making a Facebook post last year in which she said she wanted to burn the American flag on the medal podium, Evie Fordham of Fox News reported.

Favre said that Wolfe shouldn't be allowed to compete.

"I wouldn't have her participate in my Olympics; go participate for somebody else," Favre said. "To say that is such a slap in our country's face. I can't believe this person can be allowed to participate for our country."

"She should be banned," Favre later added.

Favre has previously worked with members of the LGBTQ community, including the gay former NFL player Esera Tuaolo. Favre appeared on Tuaolo's podcast in 2020 to discuss head trauma sustained from playing football.

But Favre was accused of harboring anti-transgender sentiments during the 2015 ESPYs. When Caitlyn Jenner took the stage to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, Favre was seen giving an uncomfortable expression, while slowly clapping before transitioning into a hand rub as the rest of the audience exploded in applause.