Snooker’s governing body has banned trans women from women’s tournaments
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association has introduced new guidelines for trans players. (Getty)
New rules from Snooker‘s governing body outline that only people born biologically female are allowed to compete in women’s events, making it the latest sports governing body to exclude trans athletes from participating.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has now updated its eligibility policy, as first reported by the Telegraph.
This comes a year after a contentious Supreme Court ruling, which declared that the legal definition of a woman is confined to biological sex. The decision has been branded trans-exclusionary.
WPBSA also published a post about the update. They wrote: “Our position has always been that the policy would be subject to immediate review should there be future ratified research findings or changes in guidance from appropriate sources.
“These cases and the studies relied upon as evidence have changed the landscape leading to the review.
“The main change from the previous policy is that the WPBSA considers snooker to be a ‘gender-affected activity’ for the purposes of Section 195 The Equality Act 2010 and that only biological female players may compete in women’s tournaments governed by the WPBSA,” the post also outlines.
“The WPBSA is an inclusive organisation and all players – irrespective of their biological sex, legal sex and/or gender identity – may compete in open tournaments.”
The new conditions mean all players can participate in Open Tournaments. However, “only biological female players may compete in women’s tournaments.”
‘The WPBSA considers snooker to be a ‘gender-affected activity”
The policy also outlines new guidance for trans men. “A trans man player who does not use testosterone as part of male gender-affirming treatment” can compete in open and/or women’s tournaments.
12-time world snooker champion Reanne Evans has taken issue with the WPBSA’s lack of communication surrounding the matter.
“So women snooker players (of all levels) and their teams have been asking if a decision has been made with no reply,” she posted.
“Players have quit/stopped entering events because of no ruling I was sent this tonight and no one knew about it. Why no announcement /email to let players know.”
Furthermore, the WPBSA stated the decision comes after trans pool player Harriet Haynes‘ case against the English Blackball Federation (EBPF). The WPBSA also says it has “conducted a thorough review of its Trans and Gender Diverse Policy.”
Haynes lost her discrimination case against the EBPF after she was banned from its women’s competitions. The judge ruled exclusion was the only “reasonable” way to ensure “fair competition.”
Haynes’ lawyer, Matt Champ, said the EBPF’s decision was “wrong, outside the parameters of the Equality Act and completely unevidenced”.
Additionally, Haynes says that she received “vile” and “horrific” abuse online, which ramped up after Lynne Pinches refused to play her in the Women’s Champion of Champions tournament.
