There were two openly trans athletes competing in Tokyo. However, the focus was on 43-year-old New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard as a transwoman, with questions of the "fairness" of her competing drawing the world's attention.

The other trans athlete was Canadian soccer player Quinn, a trans, non-binary athlete competing in the women's soccer. The coverage of Quinn has not reached the same heights and has taken the appropriate tone, a trailblazer leading the way and showing gender diverse people the world round what is possible.

The reason the portrayals of their stories are in stark contrast is due to the view cisgender women need protection and will be at a disadvantage when, not if, the male sex takes over women's sports.

These portrayals in the public eye have been ongoing for decades, with one of the first published cases dating back to US tennis player Renee Richards in 1977.

The view always neglects the fact women come in different shapes and sizes. Some are six foot five, others are five foot two. Some have increased muscle mass, others are slimmer builds, and the list goes on. These characteristics give athletes advantages, simply due to their biological make up.

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A 2017 paper published in the Journal of the Philosophy of Sport argued genetic advantages frequently occur in sports and if we take into consideration genetic advantages of trans athletes, these also should apply to cis athletes by introducing a handicap system based on testosterone levels.

In effect this is already in place, with many sporting organisations basing participation off testosterone levels and forcing trans-women to lower their levels to compete.

However, testosterone differs between sexes. In men it helps muscle size, bone growth and strength at up to 10-20 times higher than in women. However, cis-men can produce low levels and cis-women can also have higher levels of testosterone - a condition known as hyperandrogenism.

Two Namibian cis-female athletes - Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi - tested over the 2018 limit imposed of five nanomoles of testosterone permitted to compete in the 400 metres to the mile and were subsequently unable to compete in the 400 metre event at Tokyo.

In order to compete they would have been required to take medication to lower their naturally occurring hormones, something they refused. Instead, the pair were allowed to compete in the 100 and 200 metre events, with Mboma finishing second in the 200m.

Each individual sports organisations set their own guidelines, the International Olympic Committee's 2015 guidelines - which the IOC admits are no longer backed by science due to the knowledge testosterone differs person to person - rules 10 nanomoles per litre is allowed.

Some organisations - such as World Rugby - argue it comes down to safety and will not allow transgender female athletes from competing at all, if they transitioned after puberty. However, it will waive the same safety concerns for trans male athletes if they wish to compete. Meaning their reasoning again comes down to "fairness". Will somebody please think of the women?

All of the reasoning remains around "protecting" women. It also plays into the harmful view it's an "easy" choice to transition and make a life-altering decision for sport. Not a decision for their own welfare or life, but instead to gain an advantage over cis-female athletes.

The societal pressures the trans community faces do not need to be compounded by the sporting community. Trans youth in Australia are 15 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. A 2021 survey showed 48.1 per cent aged 14 to 25 had attempted suicide and furthermore 35 per over 18 had, too.

These statistics are not surprising when you see the language surrounding Hubbard's historic first Olympics, and the language used by leaders, politicians, some corners of the media and your uncle Joe on Facebook about trans people in general. The language is sickening at its core and beyond harmful to any gender-diverse people.

Once again sport has the opportunity to lead the way on this and create positive change, instead it is directly and indirectly harming the trans community.