Caitlyn Jenner Gets To Keep Gold Medal She Won As Bruce In 1976 Olympics, Says IOC

Caitlyn Jenner has been the center of news outlets for the past week, and after her Vanity Fair cover reveal, a petition was posted on Change.org to revoke the Olympic winner’s gold medal that she won as Bruce Jenner in the 1976 Olympic Games, the Inquisitr reported.

According to the petition that originated from Fort Worth, Texas, Caitlyn violated the committee rules as she stated that she has always identified herself as a woman.

“…this creates somewhat of a problem as Ms. Jenner (as talented as she is) claims that she has always believed herself to be truly female, and therefore, was in violation of committee rules regarding women competing in men’s sports and vice versa.”

The petition is asking for 15,000 signatures, and as of this post, it has already gathered 13,238 supporters. The petition is all for nothing, though, as the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has already issued a statement regarding the issue.

If The IOC even considered stripping @Caitlyn_Jenner of her/ his Olympic medal it would be one of the most shameful time’s in history.

— Nikki Sixx (@NikkiSixx) June 4, 2015

there is a petition going around to strip Caitlyn Jenner of her Olympic medal. I actually want to move to a different planet….

— ?bb feels? (@seriouslyhallie) June 4, 2015

Just heard disgusting news that people are signing a Petition @Change to retract @Caitlyn_Jenner #olympic medal! So wrong on so many levels! — Patti Stanger (@pattistanger) June 4, 2015

According to the New York Daily News, Caitlyn Jenner will get to keep her gold medal. The committee has already dealt with issues like Caitlyn Jenner’s in the past, as they have come across other transgender athletes in different competitions. The communications director of IOC, Mark Adams, released a brief statement on Jenner’s gold medal issue to Yahoo News.

“Bruce Jenner won his gold medal in the 1976 Olympic Games and there is no issue for the IOC.”

As there are other transgender athletes competing in the Olympic Games, the IOC Medical Commission had a meeting in 2003 to discuss the rules of participating transgender athletes. They concluded that transgender athletes be eligible to participate in the Olympic Games as long as they meet certain conditions.

• The competitor must undergo the appropriate hormonal therapy for a certain amount of time (at least two years) in order to eliminate the gender-related advantages during the competition.

• The competitor must have completed surgical anatomical surgeries, including genitalia surgery.

• The competitor must have their assigned sex legally recognized by official authorities.

In 2012, the IOC issued a statement that they welcome transgender athletes to compete in the Olympic Games if they meet the criteria mentioned above. Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner, won a gold medal in 1976 when he participated in the men’s decathlon event in the Olympic Games held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Congratulations @Caitlyn_Jenner for being the first woman in history to win a gold medal in the men’s decathlon event.

— Gavin McInnes (@Gavin_McInnes) June 4, 2015

What do you think about IOC’s decision to let Caitlyn Jenner keep her gold medal? Do you think it is fair? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below. Meanwhile, you can also check out a documentary on Bruce Jenner’s journey to the Olympics by viewing the video below.

[Image via Tony Duffy /Allsport/Getty Images]