Sports participation policy and controversy for transgender athletes: Dilemma of fairness and inclusion

Key Points

• This research aims to analyze the participation of transgender athletes in sports from the perspectives of fairness and inclusion, providing implications for domestic sports policy discussions.
• Literature review to analyze international and domestic sports policies related to transgender athlete participation.
• Examined policy documents from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and major international sports federations, human rights organization reports, and scholarly studies.
• International sports policies are shifting from a biological criteria focus to an inclusive paradigm respecting athlete rights and gender identity.
• Transgender athlete participation policies intersect issues of competitive equity, protection of women's sports, and universal participation rights, leading to varied responses based on sport characteristics.
• The domestic sports environment lacks guidelines and legal frameworks, resulting in institutional gaps compared to international trends.