Brazilian transgender volleyball player extends contract

(Julio Cortez/AP)

SAO PAULO — The first transgender athlete to play in Brazil’s top volleyball league has extended her contract for one more season.

Tiffany Abreu’s team Volei Bauru announced on Tuesday that she will stay on for one more year after playing 14 games and scoring 308 points for the Sao Paulo-based club.

She told the club’s website that her decision was based on the welcoming she had from local fans and colleagues.

Abreu received authorization from the International Volleyball Federation in 2017 to play for women’s teams.

She played in men’s leagues until 2012 in Brazil, Portugal, France, Indonesia, Spain, France, Holland and Belgium.

In January 2016 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in international events without undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

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