One of the world’s top billiards players is refusing to play in professional competitions against anyone who is not biologically female, amid a bitter row over transgender competitors.
Alexandra Cunha, who is ranked fifth in the international rankings of female pool players, took that stance after her sport’s rules were changed last week to allow men who identify as women to compete in women’s tournaments involving Thousands of prize money goes.
She is one of dozens of professional players now rebelling against the growing number of trans players playing professionally in women’s pool leagues.
They argue that the participation of players who identify as women but were born men in women’s competitions is deeply unfair, as they have a clear physical advantage over female competitors.
Those advantages include having greater upper body strength, which allows them to “break” balls more initially, which can determine the direction of a game, the women say.
Alexandra Cunha, who is ranked fifth in the international rankings of female pool players, took that stance after her sport’s rules were changed last week to allow men who identify as women to compete in women’s tournaments involving Thousands of prize money goes
Additionally, trans players are said to be able to play faster and have greater shooting range due to their larger arm span.
The dispute is the latest surprise in an ongoing debate over whether trans competitors should be allowed to compete in women’s categories that plague countless sporting disciplines.
Ms Cunha, who lives in Britain but is captain of the Portuguese women’s national billiards team, told the Mail on Sunday: “I’ve been playing billiards since I was 17 and I’m fifth in the world, but I’m taking risks. “I’ll throw everything away because I hate injustice.
“I recently played against a transgender player and was devastated when I lost.”
The 49-year-old also revealed that she had written to the head of a major tournament, the International Rules Pool Tour, this week that she was withdrawing from the event.
She told organizers: “Since we live in a free world and I will stand up for what I believe is fair, I will not play against players who were not born female, regardless of whether they were in the first class round or in the final.”
Ms Cunha said she offered to continue the tour if her playing rules were accepted, but was only told her entry fee would be refunded.
The controversy now rocking the highest levels of women’s professional pool began on October 24 when the sport’s international governing body, the World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF), changed the rules for trans players to participate in women’s tournaments.
Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC takes part in the Brighton & Hove Pride 30th Anniversary LGBTQ+ Community Parade in Brighton on 6th August 2022
As more transgender players began applying to compete in women’s tournaments in August, the WEPF initially issued a statement alongside its main sponsor, the Ultimate Pool Group, saying: “These events are open exclusively to those born female.” ‘
But just eight weeks later there was a shocking reversal of that decision, which some players believe was made under pressure from legal threats from trans competitors.
The WEPF and Ultimate Pool have released an update on “Competition Eligibility for Transgender and Non-Binary Players,” stating that there will be no discrimination based on gender identity.
They stipulated that they would apply a gender “self-identification” policy for participants, but added that they reserved the right to test whether testosterone levels had been reduced to the level required by the International Olympic Committee for trans athletes.
Within a week of that announcement, more than 60 professional female billiards players joined together via a WhatsApp support group to protest against the changes, the Mail on Sunday said.
One player, Lynne Pincher, said: “When I heard the announcement last week I cried most of the day – especially because it was announced eight weeks earlier that it would finally be a fair field.”
“I’m now worried about the future of women’s football.” “If we had eight trans players next year, they would probably be in the top eight.”
Last night Olympian Sharron Davies, who has been a vocal advocate for women’s sport remaining single-sex, described the decision to allow trans players to compete in women’s pool competitions as “heartbreaking”.
She said: “Billiards, like so many others, is a male-dominated sport and these women have worked hard to get their own tour.”
“These organizations know that their game is influenced by sex.” They know that women need their own tournaments to increase women’s participation and opportunities. You have to show courage and decency and stand up for women.”