Trans Woman and Sport: The Paradox of Fairness and Inclusion

The issue of allowing trans woman athletes to participate in women’s sports has sparked heated debates. Focusing on the core concepts of the debates, fairness and inclusion, this article analyzes the latest discussions on gender segregation in sports and reveals how fairness and inclusion can function as oppressive ideologies. The first part outlines the history of trans/DSD athletes, highlighting changes in regulations by the IOC and World Athletics. I then examine the two groups of scholars who oppose and support their participation in women’s competitions. The second part shifts focus to the first openly trans woman athlete in South Korea, Na Hwa-rin. who has completed gender reassignment surgery and legally changed her gender, Na made history by winning three medals in the women’s cycling events at the 2023 Gangwon Provincial Sports Festival. Tellingly, Na advocates for mandatory gender reassignment surgery for legal recognition and opposes the participation of trans women in women’s competitions. Na’s conservative view shows that South Korea places greater emphasis on fairness over inclusion. However, as such preoccupation with fairness is often selective and “unjust,” the moralistic sense of fairness imposed by Koreans on athletes remains an oppressive ideology.