A woman’s pool tournament championship in the UK contained two transient athletes who defeated their female competition.
Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith went toe to the Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series event 2 at Robin Park Leisure Center in Wigan.
Both competitors defeated four female opponents each to get to the championship.
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Each of Haynes’ matchups was pretty close, but Smith dominated in the early walk of the bracket. Smith defeated Jane Mitchell 7 frames to 3 in the first round and then beat Vicki Lomax, 7-1.
Haynes led the championship match, 6-3, at one point, but Smith came back to cut the deficit to one. However, Haynes held on to the victory.
According to Ultimate Pool Group, Smith won 85 of 113 games and 62% of 848 frames dating back to 2021 before entering the final. Haynes owned a .750 winning percentage in 241 Lifetime matches and won 61% of the frame before heading Smith.
The two players were held opposite each other in the semi -finals of the UK Mini Series Pool Championships in October. Haynes won this matchup, but lost the championship to a biological woman.
The rules of both the English Pool Association and the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) say that transidentified athletes are allowed to compete in the sport without absolutely no restrictions, According to their site. These statutes of the English Pool Association have been reviewed since December 2023.
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In August 2023, WEPF announced that it updated its guidelines to give only those who were “born female” to play the sport.
“We understand that this decision can promote questions and discussions within our sport. We will emphasize that our obligation to maintain the values of sports, including and compliance with regulatory standards remains unwavering,” WePF said at the time. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued growth and development of the sport we all love while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusive and integrity of competition. We recognize the importance of promoting an environment where everyone can participate and thrive, and we remain dedicated to maintaining these principles to the best of our ability.”
An Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag will appear together with a transient pride flag on June 10, 2024 in London. (Mike Kemp/On Pictures Via Getty Images)
But in October of that year, WEPF turned that protection. It enabled transking competitors under the condition that they identified themselves as female for at least four years and submitted proof of lowered testosterone levels.
