Kimia Alizadeh: Iran's top female athlete defects

DW, 12 January 2020

Iran's only female Olympic medallist, Kimia Alizadeh, has said she has left the country permanently following accusations of mistreatment and sexism against officials. The 21-year-old is reportedly in the Netherlands.

Kimia Alizadeh | 2016 Rio Olympics - Taekwondo (Reuters/I. Kato)

Amid rising unrest in Iran following the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian plane and simmering tensions with the USA, Iran's only female Olympic medallist, Taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh, has announced that she has defected.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 21-year-old said she didn't want to be a part of "hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery" as "one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran".

"I wore whatever they told me and repeated whatever they ordered. Every sentence they ordered I repeated. None of us matter for them, we are just tools," she added.

Alizadeh, who made history when she won bronze in Taekwondo at the Rio Olympics as an 18-year-old, is believed to be training in the Netherlands, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

She has claimed in the past that the Islamic Republic has used her as a propaganda tool and accused Iranian officials of sexism and mistreatment.

The ISNA agency reported that Alizadeh is hoping to still compete at the Tokyo Olympics later this year, but not under the Iranian flag.

Iranian students demonstrated following a tribute for victims of
Wednesday's plane crash (AFP Photo/Atta KENARE)

Related Article:

Iran agrees de-escalation 'only solution' to solve crisis with US

Paris celebrates 2024 Olympic win as LA accepts 2028 consolation

Yahoo – AFP, Françoise CHAPTAL, Aug 1, 2017

Paris was insistent on hosting the Olympics in 2024, on the 100th anniversary
of the city's 1924 Games (AFP Photo/FRANCK FIFE)

Paris (AFP) - Paris was celebrating victory on Tuesday in its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games after Los Angeles announced its intention to host the 2028 event instead in return for financial sweeteners.

Officially, French President Emmanuel Macron gave Monday's announcement by Los Angeles a cautious welcome, hailing a "very important step" on the road to hosting the Games.

The deal was described by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach as a "win-win-win" agreement for both cities and the Olympic movement.

But despite the fact that Paris is now effectively the only remaining candidate to host the 2024 Summer Games, Macron and other bid leaders shied away from overt triumphalism until an official announcement.

"France notes the decision of Los Angeles to put forward its candidature for 2028 and to reach an agreement with the IOC and Paris," a statement from Macron's office said.

Macron spoke to Bach following Los Angeles' announcement and was "delighted by this very important step towards France obtaining the Games in 2024".

Olympic Games host cities (AFP Photo/Paz PIZARRO)

Announcing the decision on Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said "this deal was too good to pass up".

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter: "Happy that my friend @MayorofLA has made an important new step on an agreement that will have three winners: Paris, Los Angeles and the IOC."

However others were less circumspect, with French newspapers celebrating the Paris win and Tony Estanguet, the Paris bid co-leader, saying he could see "nothing standing in the way of Paris staging the Games".

"This time we've won it," said a headline on the front page of Le Parisien newspaper.

Paris, which will host the Games for a third time, endured the disappointment of failed bids in 1992, 2008 and 2012.

Both Paris and Los Angeles had wanted to host the 2024 Olympics, with the winner to be officially named by the IOC on September 13 in the Peruvian capital Lima.

But the possibility that Los Angeles would abandon a 2024 bid and instead accept the 2028 Games has been growing since the IOC decided in July that it would attempt to award both Games at its Lima meeting.

The French capital insisted it only wanted to host the Games in 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the city's 1924 Olympics, prompting Los Angeles to soften its stance and consider hosting the 2028 Games.

Los Angeles has twice hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1932 and 1984 (AFP

Photo/FREDERIC J. BROWN)

'Proud'

And confirmation of the decision everyone was expecting came on Monday night.

"I am proud to announce the Olympic Games are coming back to the United States of America," Mayor Garcetti said at a ceremony at the StubHub Center stadium.

"In 2028, we are bringing the Games back to LA, one of the great capitals of the Olympic movement. A city that has always been a Games changer and will be again in 2028."

LA officials, who had put forward a $5.3 billion (4.5 billion euros) bid for 2024, said an agreement had been reached with the IOC on financial considerations that would make waiting an extra four years feasible.

Bid chief Casey Wasserman said the IOC had waived various fees and payments that could ultimately save LA organisers millions.

The IOC will also advance $180 million to LA organisers to lessen the impact of the longer lead-up time, money that normally would not be disbursed until closer to the Games kickoff.

Los Angeles' Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the city "would be stupid" not to 

agree to host the Olympics in 2028 (AFP Photo/Fabrice COFFRINI)

"The IOC contribution as stipulated by the HCC is $1.8 billion and has the potential to exceed $2 billion according to the evaluation of the LA bid committee when taking into account the estimated value of existing sponsor agreements to be renewed and potential new marketing deals," the bid committee said in a statement.

Like Paris, this will bring the Games back to Los Angeles for a third time, after the city hosted in 1932 and 1984.

The agreement must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the United States Olympic Committee -- both of which backed the 2024 bid.

But Bach said he expected any remaining hurdles to be cleared.

"We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners," he said.

The United States last hosted the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 while the Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Paris, LA to host Summer Olympics

Yahoo – AFP, Ben Simon, Jul 11, 2017

(From left) Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, International Olympic Committee President
 Thomas Bach and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti pose on July 11, 2017 in
Lausanne (AFP Photo/Fabrice COFFRINI)

Lausanne (AFP) - The International Olympic Committee agreed Tuesday to award the 2024 and 2028 Games at the same time, effectively guaranteeing that Paris and Los Angeles will be the hosts.

The French capital is tipped to stage 2024 while the Californian city has hinted that it was prepared to wait four more years.

Paris and Los Angeles were the remaining candidates for the 2024 Olympics, a contest that IOC boss Thomas Bach said created "a golden opportunity".

The Olympic movement has had increasing trouble attracting prospective hosts given the soaring costs and taxpayer support required.

Paris and Los Angeles mounted progressive, exemplary bids that would trim expenses by using existing facilities, the IOC said, making clear that it did not want to reject either candidate.

Bach lobbied for a double hosting plan, which won unanimous approval from IOC members at a meeting Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The IOC boss called the decision "historic".

"Ensuring stability of the Olympic Games for 11 years is really something extraordinary," he told reporters shortly after the plan was approved.

The Los Angeles and Paris Olympic sites for the 2024 Olympics ahead of the

Paris presentation to the IOC on Tuesday. (AFP Photo/Paz PIZARRO)

Two month window

The IOC now has a two-month window to negotiate with Paris and Los Angeles over which city will go first.

Bach said he wants a "tripartite agreement" before the IOC's main annual meeting in Peru's capital Lima on September 13, when a vote on the 2024 host had been scheduled.

Immediately after the deal was approved, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and his Parisian counterpart Anne Hidalgo appeared on stage arm-in-arm to thank the IOC members, leaving little doubt that a three-way pact was achievable.

Speaking later alongside Bach, Garcetti and Hidalgo voiced full confidence in the upcoming talks.

"I now know that I am sitting up here with two mayors, from two cities that will host after Tokyo the next two Olympics," Garcetti said, referring to the 2020 Games in Japan.

Hidalgo assured that "the Games will return to Paris".

Paris and Los Angeles mounted progressive, exemplary bids that would trim 

expenses by using existing facilities, the IOC said, making clear that it did not

want to reject either candidate (AFP Photo/GABRIEL BOUYS)

Paris 'ready', LA to wait?

Bach said the negotiations would begin immediately, possibly over glasses of wine on Tuesday, adding an agreement could be announced next month.

In the highly unlikely event that there is no deal, the IOC will vote in Lima on 2024 alone, as initially planned, Bach said.

Delegations from the two cities -- led by French President Emmanuel Macron and Garcetti -- were in Lausanne making fresh pitches to IOC voters.

Paris has maintained a tougher line on the 2028 question, insisting it was focused on 2024, the centenary anniversary of the city's last Games.

"I am here to convey a message to say our people are ready to host these Games," Macron told reporters on Tuesday.

"After three failed bids we don't want to lose a fourth one," he said.

Paris mounted losing bids for the 1992, 2008 and 2012 Games.

The Los Angeles team has done did little to quell speculation it was open to 2028, with bid chairman Casey Wasserman reminding that the city had never given the IOC "an ultimatum" on the 2024 question.

The city last hosted the Games in 1984.

The LA 2024 team says it has secured $5.3 billion (4.7 billion euros) in private funding, 

which if delivered could set a new paradigm for hosting Games that have historically

relied on taxpayer money (AFP Photo/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN)

"Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!" President Donald Trump said in a tweet, without making reference to a particular year.

'Great' Olympic cities

The Olympic movement has been stained by Games that erected grand multi-million dollar facilities that were left to crumble and rot, while the billions spent in public money offered no long-term benefit to host communities.

Los Angeles has stressed its near entire reliance on private funding while vowing to use the Games to broaden access to sports, something it won praise for doing following the 1984 edition.

While Paris has equally focused on leaving a positive legacy, Macron also highlighted the opportunity for France to rally around the "Olympic values" of tolerance and inclusivity, saying they were embedded in the country's "DNA."

"It truly is a tale of two great Olympic cities," said a report released last week by the IOC's 2024 Evaluation Commission.

Bach called their presentations on Tuesday "mind-blowing."

Beijing edges 2022 Winter Games vote to make Olympic history

Yahoo – AFP, Tim Witcher, 31 July 2015

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach shows the card

 with the name Beijing as the winning name of the 2022 Winter Olympic bid city

(AFP Photo/Manan Vatsyayana)

Beijing on Friday narrowly won an IOC vote for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games that secured its place in sporting history.

The Chinese capital beat Almaty in Kazakhstan by just 44 votes to 40, with one abstention, to become the first city to be awarded the summer and winter Games.

Members of the Beijing delegation 

celebrate in Kuala Lumpur on July 31,

 2015 after Beijing was named as the 

host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic

Games (AFP Photo/Olivia Harris)

Beijing held the summer Olympics in 2008 in what was then seen as China sealing its place on the world stage as an emerging superpower.

This time it had been the strong favourite, presenting itself as a safe pair of hands against underdog Almaty.

"We represent the safest and most realistic choice," said Beijing's mayor Wang Anshun.

But the former capital of the Central Asian republic ate into China's support on the International Olympic Committee with an impressive "Keeping It Real" campaign that played on Beijing's reliance on artificial snow and the vast distances between its venues.

China's basketball legend Yao Ming and Sports Minister Liu Peng leaped to their feet in joy when IOC president Thomas Bach announced the result at a special session in Kuala Lumpur.

IOC director general Christophe De Kepper said there were doubts about the "integrity" of the results given by the tablets used for the vote.

But it held up the result and in Beijing performers and uniformed volunteers also erupted into dancing and flag-waving joy as the Chinese capital was named.

People wearing traditional costumes gather to celebrate as Beijing is announced

 as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, in Shijiazhuang, the capital

of northern China's Hebei province on July 31, 2015 (AFP Photo)

Vote surprise

"Finally - we won, but it was not easy," Yao acknowledged.

"I was very confident about this campaign, but when the moment came I was still very excited about what we have done," the former Houston Rockets center told reporters.

The result surprised many IOC members.

"I always said Almaty would get more support than people had expected, but I never thought it would be that close," said Craig Reedie, a British member of the IOC.

He said IOC voters had been impressed by the final presentation by Kazakh prime minister Karim Massimov.

Others said they still preferred the assurances offered by China's communist government against oil-rich Kazakhstan which had been making its second bid for the Winter Olympics.

China's President Xi Jinping promised rock solid government support for Beijing if it was chosen.

Members of the delegation from Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics candidate city

 reacts after the city was elected to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games

(AFP Photo/Olivia Harris)

"Let me assure you that if you choose Beijing, the Chinese people will present to the world a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic Winter Games," Xi said in a video message to the IOC meeting.

Some of Beijing's 2008 venues, including its iconic Bird's Nest national stadium will be reused for the 2022 Games.

But it will also make widespread use of machine-made snow for outdoor events and some of the venues are 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Beijing.

All of Almaty's venues are within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of the city, which the delegation portrayed as a "winter wonderland" with abundant natural snow.

Beijing has said it will spend $3.06 billion on running the Games and special infrastructure for the event. That does not include $5 billion for a high-speed train link from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, where many mountain events will be held.

Kazakhstan, which became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991 but is still run by an authoritarian president, had sought the Games as a way to stamp its place on the world map.

"We are a golden opportunity to prove that smaller advancing nations can successfully host the Olympic Games," Kazakhstan's prime minister told the IOC.

Volunteers parade in front of journalists in Beijing to celebrate the announcement 

by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Beijing had been named to 

host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on July 31, 2015 (AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

Almaty would stage "a Games that are centred on the needs of athletes and sport, not on the needs of (the) host country's global image", said Andrey Kryukov, vice chairman of the Almaty bid committee in a veiled dig at China.

Both countries' human rights records have been condemned by activist groups, but no mention of rights was made in the IOC debate.

Six cities were originally in the race to follow 2018 hosts Pyeongchang in South Korea.

But after Russia spent more than $50 billion to stage the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow in Poland and Lviv in Ukraine all withdrew because of cost fears and local politics.

US Olympic hero Bruce Jenner hailed for coming out as transgender

Yahoo - AFP, Michael Thurston, April 25, 2015

US Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner was undergoing a sex
change has been rich fodder for supermarket tabloids for months (AFP Photo/Stan Honda)

Los Angeles (AFP) - US Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner won praise Saturday from celebrities and activists for revealing he is transitioning from male to female, ending long-running speculation he identifies as a woman.

In a highly anticipated, two-hour television interview aired Friday -- hailed by transgender rights' campaigners and his own Kardashian-linked family -- the 65-year-old said he had wrestled with his sexual identity since he was a kid.

"I've always been confused about my gender identity since I was this big," he told ABC's celebrity interviewer Diane Sawyer.

"Here I am, stuck -- and I hate the word -- (a) girl stuck in a guy's body... As of now I have all the male parts and all that kind of stuff."

But asked point blank if he was a woman, Jenner said: "Yes. For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman."

Speculation that the actor, race-car enthusiast and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics decathlon gold medalist was undergoing a sex change has been rich fodder for supermarket tabloids for months.

Supposed telltale signs, based on paparazzi photos from the streets of Los Angeles, include shaved limbs, long hair worn in a ponytail and what appears to be a sports bra under a T-shirt.

'I am not gay'

Jenner said he identifies himself as "her," but not by a specific name. The ABC interviewer used "he" and "him" throughout, without causing any apparent discomfort for the former Olympian.

He stressed the difference between gender identity and sexuality.

"I am not gay," Jenner said. "I am, as far as I know, heterosexual. I've always been with a woman, raising kids."

Just before making the long-expected announcement, Jenner symbolically let his hair down.

"Let's take the damn ponytail out," he told Sawyer, smiling.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights group GLAAD welcomed Jenner's announcement.

"Though Jenner's journey is one that is deeply personal, it is also one that will impact and inspire countless people around the world," GLAAD head Sarah Kate Ellis said.

Singer Miley Cyrus gushed on Twitter: "I LOOOOVE LOOOVE LOOOVE Bruce Jenner!!!!!!!"

Born outside New York in October 1949, thrice-married Jenner became an American sports hero when he set a world record with his Montreal decathlon victory.

Leveraging his fame, he appeared on boxes of Wheaties, a popular American cereal known as "the breakfast of champions," then tried his hand as a movie actor, with less than stellar results.

But it was through his marriage to the former Kris Kardashian that he once again became a household name in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in which he appeared as the sometimes bemused stepfather of her flamboyant daughters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe.

The couple have two daughters of their own, but they obtained a divorce in December, 14 months after separating -- although he has been seen still wearing a wedding ring.

Hero once again

"Not only was I able to call him my husband for 25 years and father of my children, I am now able to call him my hero," Kris Jenner tweeted.

Jenner's 89-year-old mother Esther hailed her son's announcement, comparing her pride to that when he won at the Olympics.

"I never thought I could be more proud of you. But I'm learning I can be," she wrote.

Jenner's son Brandon tweeted simply: "Proud son," along with an Instagram picture of himself as a young boy perched on his smiling father's shoulders.

Step-daughter Kim Kardashian trumpeted:

"Love is the courage to live the truest, best version of yourself. Bruce is love. I love you Bruce. ."

Her sister Khloe wrote: "Bruzer, I'm soooo proud of you! Dads really are heros."

National Center for Transgender Equality advocacy group executive director Mara Keisling called Jenner's declaration "one of the most profound displays of bravery and courage I've seen."

Jenner, clearly relieved to have finally come clean, said: "I'm saying goodbye to people's perceptions of me and who I am.

"I'm not saying goodbye to me because this has always been me."

Related Article:

"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”

Anti-Rousseff protests draw 1.5 million across Brazil

Yahoo – AFP, Laura Bonilla Cal, Natalia Ramos, 16 March 2015

Demonstrators protest against the government of President Dilma Rousseff in

Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Nelson Almeida)

Sao Paulo (AFP) - About 1.5 million protesters hit the streets across Brazil on Sunday in a major show of anger against leftist President Dilma Rousseff, who faces crises from a faltering economy to a massive corruption scandal at state oil giant Petrobras.

Many called for the impeachment of Rousseff, less than six months after she was narrowly returned to power in the most bitterly fought presidential race since the end of a military dictatorship in 1985.

The biggest demonstration took place in Sao Paulo, where a million people rallied -- according to police estimates -- many in the distinctive yellow and green of Brazil's national football team. The city -- South America's biggest, and Brazil's business and industrial hub -- is a stronghold of opposition to Rousseff.

A demonstrator with his face painted in the colours of the Brazilian national

 flag and a message reading "Dilma out" takes part in a rally to protest against 

the government in Rio de Janeiro on March 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Christophe Simon)

Peaceful demonstrations also took place in 83 cities and towns around the country, including major protests in the capital Brasilia and in Rio de Janeiro.

The numbers matched the vast rallies that roiled Brazil in June 2013, when protesters angry at the cost of hosting the 2014 World Cup demanded an end to corruption and more spending on transportation, health and education.

"We are thousands and thousands of people who demand the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff," Rubens Nunes, 26, told AFP in Sao Paulo, where the massive crowd stretched along four kilometers (2.5 miles) of Avenida Paulista, a major thoroughfare.

The protests are significantly larger than those convened on Friday in support of Rousseff and Petrobras by unions and social movements related to her ruling Workers' Party (PT).

In the capital Brasilia alone, between 45,000 and 50,000 people marched Sunday towards the Congress, according to police estimates.

The government was keen to appear to be listening and towards the end of the day Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo and Miguel Rossetto, presidential chief of staff, gave a press conference saying immediate steps would be taken to fight graft and impunity.

"The demonstrations against the government are legitimate. What is not legitimate is the coup, violence and unfounded 'impeachment' that is damaging democracy," said Rossetto.

Demonstrators protest against the government of President Dilma

Rousseff in Rio de Janeiro on March 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yasuyoshi Chiba)

'Go to Cuba'

In Rio de Janeiro, people waved Brazilian flags along the coastal Copacabana avenue behind a truck blaring slogans against Rousseff.

"Get out Dilma; get out PT!" people chanted. A few protesters among the 15,000 packed there even called for military intervention to end the PT's 12 years in power.

Rita Souza, a 50-year-old television producer, carried a banner reading: "Military intervention now."

"I'm not asking for a coup, but a constitutional intervention to call new fair elections," Souza told AFP. "They can all go to Cuba!"

Construction contractor Alessandro Braga, 37, attended the rally in Brasilia with his wife and son.

"I support the departure of Dilma," he said. "The biggest corruption scandals occurred during her administration and she said nothing."

Demonstrators protest against the government of Brazilian President 

Dilma Rousseff in Manaus, on March 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Raphael Alves)

The marches were supported by the opposition Social Democracy Party, whose president Aecio Neves -- who lost the election runoff to Rousseff -- said in video on Facebook that "the road is just beginning."

"We will not disperse," he said.

Litany of problems

Dozens of political figures, including close allies of Rousseff, and former Petrobras executives are under investigation over a kickback and money laundering scheme that saw an estimated $3.8 billion creamed off inflated contracts over a decade.

No one has been convicted yet, but some of the alleged wrongdoing took place while Rousseff was chairman of the Petrobras board.

Twenty-two deputies, 13 senators and two governors have been implicated in the bribe-taking allegations. Rousseff is not being investigated.

In addition to the corruption scandal at Petrobras, Rousseff is also facing rising inflation and a Brazilian economy that is on the brink of recession.

Related Article:

Brazil ruling-party treasurer accused of graft: prosecutor - New

Top Brazilian politicians to be investigated in Petrobras graft scandal

Bruce Jenner 'gender change' captures US attention

Yahoo - AFP, Robert Macpherson, 6 Feb 2015

Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner has Americans' rapt attention

once again amid talk that he is soon to come out as transgender (AFP Photo)

Washington (AFP) - Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner has Americans' rapt attention once again amid talk that he is soon to come out as transgender.

People magazine, a trusted conduit for Hollywood publicists, reported this week that Jenner, 65, would open up in a forthcoming interview with ABC News.

"Bruce is transitioning to a woman," the celebrity news weekly quoted a source close to the family as saying, after weeks of tabloid speculation.

Bruce Jenner and Kris Kardashian have
two daughters, but they obtained a divorce
in December 2014, 14 months after

separating (AFP Photo/Frederic J. Brown)

"He is finally happy and his family is accepting of what he's doing. He's in such a great space. That's why it's the perfect time to do something like this."

Jenner's 88-year-old mother Esther Jenner, who lives in Idaho, meanwhile told RadarOnline.com that she had "just learned" about her son's gender transition.

"I have never been more proud of Bruce for who he is, himself as a father, as an Olympian, a wonderful public speaker," she told the gossip website.

"He instills enthusiasm in people. He's gifted."

In the latest twist, the Kardashian family -- into which Jenner has been married -- cancelled all press events Thursday in the run-up to season 10 of their hit reality TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

Jenner himself has been lying low, ahead of the premiere of a documentary that will reportedly chronicle his gender transition.

Speculation that the actor, race-car enthusiast and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics decathlon gold medallist is undergoing a sex change has been rich fodder for supermarket tabloids for months.

Supposed telltale signs, based on paparazzi photos from the streets of Los Angeles, include shaved limbs, long hair worn in a ponytail and what appears to be a sports bra under a T-shirt.

Throat surgery clue

In late January, Jenner was seen emerging from a Beverly Hills clinic with a bandage around neck, presumably after surgery to flatten his Adam's apple.

Known as a laryngeal shave, the procedure -- which involves reducing cartilage in the throat for a more feminine look -- is common among transgenders.

"I just never liked my trachea," he told the TMZ.com gossip website prior to the outpatient operation.

American society is widely perceived as becoming more accepting of gender diversity, as seen by the legalization of same-sex marriage in many states.

Transgender people, however, still face "staggering levels of discrimination and violence," according to LGBT media activist group GLAAD.

In the media, they typically appear as either victims or villains, GLAAD said, although the Golden Globe-winning Amazon original series "Transparent" has cast them in a more sympathetic light.

Born outside New York in October 1949, thrice-married Jenner became an American sports hero when he set a world record with his Montreal decathlon victory.

Leveraging his fame, he appeared on boxes of Wheaties, a popular American cereal known as "the breakfast of champions," then tried his hand as a movie actor, with less than stellar results.

He did better on television, appearing in the 1980s police series "CHiPs" and sitcom "Silver Spoons" among other shows, and in 2003 the American version of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!"

But it was through his marriage to the former Kris Kardashian that he once again became a household name in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in which he appeared as the sometimes bemused stepfather of her flamboyant daughters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe.

"I had it all, and then I met Kris," he quipped in one episode.

"It's typical for me to be forgotten in this family," he added in another.

He and Kris Kardashian have two daughters of their own, but they obtained a divorce in December, 14 months after separating -- although he has been seen still wearing a wedding ring.

The death of US transgender teenager, Leelah Alcorn, has sparked

discussions on social media platforms. She published her farewell on her blog.

Related Articles:

Death of US transgender teen sparks debate online

"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”