‘In Sports… Physical Ability Can Be Different’: Saina Nehwal On Gender Transition And Fairness Debate

On Before I Became Me, I.I.M.U.N.’s conversational series hosted by Rishabh Shah (Founder, I.I.M.U.N.), where Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal addressed the growing debate around gender transition in sports, calling it a “very difficult question” that requires deeper understanding rather than quick conclusions.

On participation and physical differences

Reflecting on the question of participation post-transition, she said, “In sports, if a man plays even after changing gender, he may still be physically strong. He may hit harder, jump better, and be faster. You need to understand that from childhood what kind of gender is given to that person, and that is how you are actually divided, like men’s singles and women’s singles.”

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A complex and evolving issue

She added, “It’s a very difficult question to answer, till the time it doesn’t come up in my particular sports, I would not be able to give a correct answer for this. Because physical ability is different, gender change is something very new that I have heard of in sports.”