UK pool organization scraps trans-athlete policy following court decision, championship controversy

Earlier this month a women's pool tournament championship in the United Kingdom featured two transgender athletes who defeated their female competition Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith went toe-to-toe in the Ultimate Pool Women's Pro Series Event at Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan Both competitors defeated four female opponents each to get to the championship bout But weeks after the event the organization has barred biological males from competing against women CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COMUltimate Pool's policies now state With effect from rd April trans women will not be eligible to participate in the women s series nor will trans women be eligible to be selected for international events in the female category The organization revealed that it commissioned an experts analysis to determine if pool is a gender affected sport in which biological males could have competitive advantages The clear conclusion of the biological and cue sports expert who jointly authored the assessment was that eightball pool was a gender affected sport and that in cue sports female players have unique disadvantages compared to male players and that transgender women retain male advantages Ultimate Pool commented According to Ultimate Pool Group Smith won of matches and of frames dating back to before entering the final Haynes owned a winning percentage in lifetime matches and won of the frames before taking on Smith The two players wound up facing each other in the semifinals of the U K Mini Series pool championships in October Haynes won that matchup but lost the championship to a biological woman In August the World Eightball Pool Federation WEPF reported it was updating its guidelines to only allow those who were born female to play the sport BIDEN DEDUCED TRANSGENDER ATHLETES HAD UNFAIR ADVANTAGE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL GIRLS SUMMARY We understand that this decision may prompt questions and discussions within our sport We want to emphasize that our commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship inclusivity and adherence to regulatory standards remains unwavering the WEPF stated at the time Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued increase and improvement of the sport we all love while maintaining a harmonious balance between inclusivity and the integrity of competition We recognize the importance of fostering an ecosystem where everyone can participate and thrive and we remain dedicated to upholding these principles to the best of our ability But in October that year the WEPF reversed that protection It allowed transgender competitors under the condition that they identified as female for a minimum of four years and submitted proof of lowered testosterone levels However Ultimate Pool also noted that their decision came as the U K Supreme Court defined the word woman under its biological meaning rather than gender ideology In this judgment the Supreme Court ruled that a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person s legal sex for the purposes of the Equality Act the new Ultimate Pool guidelines say The Equality and Human Rights Commission EHRC chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner has validated that the ruling has brought clarity and that trans women cannot take part in women s sport and that the EHRC would pursue organisations which do not update their policies UPG welcomes the clarity which this judgment brings Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this statement Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter