Astonishing video footage has captured the moment a male coach claims to be a woman and smashes the female bench press record at a powerlifting competition in Canada.
Bearded Avi Silverberg is shown calmly approaching the bench in men's clothing as part of a protest against gender self-identification policies in sport.
Silverberg then unofficially breaks the female bench press record for the 84+ kilograms women's category - a record officially held by a transgender powerlifter.
The move, which took place Saturday at the Heroes Classic tournament in Lethbridge, Alberta, was apparently designed to protest rules outlined by the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU).
Silverberg has yet to comment on his decision to enter the contest and subsequent victory.
It allows anybody who self-identifies as a woman to compete in the female category, sparking concerns that trans women who've gone through male puberty may have a considerable physical advantage over biological female rivals.
The CPU released its 'trans inclusion policy' in February which was based on guidance from the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport.
Silverberg participated in the women's category at the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet in Lethbridge, Alberta last Saturday.
He smashed a record set by transgender powerlifter Anne Andres, who previously mocked women for being 'so bad' at bench pressing.
'Why is women’s bench so bad?' she said in February.
'I mean not compared to me, we all know that I’m a tranny freak, so that doesn’t count.
'I mean, standard bench in powerlifting competitions for women. I literally don’t understand why it’s so bad.'
She made the statements in a video uploaded online.
At the time, Riley Gaines - a spokeswoman for the Independent Women's Forum and a competitive swimmer who was beaten by transgender athlete Lia Thomas - hit out at Andres.
She wrote on Twitter: 'Anne Andres (male who identifies and competes as a woman) doesn’t understand why female powerlifters are so ‘bad’ at bench press…
'Well I don't know Anne, but maybe it’s because you have 20 times more testosterone than them. Just a thought…'
ICONS Women, a campaign group dedicated to defending the rights of female athletes in single-sex sport, posted the clip of Silverberg on their Twitter account.
The issue of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sport has become increasingly contentious after a series of high-profile cases.... (Read more)
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