Football analyst turned radio star Lucy Zelic has targeted a new sport for allowing transgender athletes to play in women’s competitions – but this time there are big questions over whether gender delivers any competitive advantage at all.
Zelic is an Australian television presenter and football journalist, best known for hosting SBS’s The World Game, working for radio network 2GB and covering major football events like the FIFA World Cup.
She has previously voiced strong opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, citing fairness and safety concerns.
She recently criticised the Flying Bats, a Sydney-based LGBTQ+ women’s football club, for allowing transgender women to participate.
That led to Harry Potter author JK Rowling, known for her gender-critical views, also weighing in on the Flying Bats.
She reposted news of the team’s dominant performances, including a 10–0 win where one transgender player scored six goals, to highlight concerns about fairness in women’s sport.
2GB radio star and football analyst Lucy Zelic (pictured) has been outspoken about transgender athletes in women’s sports
Now Zelic has targeted the sport of pool, where transgender competitors like Harriet Haynes (pictured) are allowed to face off against biological women
Zelic has previously argued that sports like football and rugby require physical parity, which she believes is compromised by including transgender athletes.
Her stance has sparked backlash from inclusion advocates, but she remains firm in calling for stricter guidelines across all women’s competitions.
Now she has targeted an unexpected new sport.
Zelic has focused her criticism on pool, which she claims has provisions for transgender competitors enshrined in its rulebooks.
‘The rules of both the English Pool Association and World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) state that trans-identified athletes are allowed to compete in the sport with absolutely no restrictions, according to their website,’ Zelic posted.
Her post included an image of a news headline that reads: ‘Women’s pool tournament championship features 2 transgender players after beating female competition’,
It is subtitled: ‘Pair have won roughly 75 per cent of their matches’.
That article is about UK pool players Harriet Haynes – who held the World Masters, European Championship and UK National Singles titles in the ladies category in 2024 – and Lucy Smith, who are both transgender.
Zelic claims that transgender competitors are allowed to compete in pool competitions in the UK without restrictions
Haynes has a strong winning record and recently reached the final of a championship against another transgender competitor
It claims they defeated four biologically female opponents each to get to the championship match.
Before the final, Smith had won 85 of 113 matches and 62 per cent of frames since 2021.
Haynes entered with a 75 per cent match win rate and had claimed 61 per cent of frames across 241 games.
The pair met in the UK Mini Series semifinals in October, where Haynes defeated Smith. However, Haynes went on to lose the final to a biological woman.
The rules stating they are allowed to compete by the World Eightball Pool Federation have been under review since 2023.
Lynne Pinches, one of Britain’s best pool players, declined a professional pool contract in the UK due to her opposition to competing against transgender women in female categories.
In November 2023, during the Women’s Champion of Champions tournament, she forfeited the final match against transgender player Harriet Haynes, citing concerns over fairness.
Pinches said her own experiments have revealed that men can hit a pool ball at up to 42kmh, while for women the maximum is 31kmh.
UK pool star Lynne Pinches forfeited a final against Haynes in protest over fairness in the sport
The World Eightball Pool Federation (WEPF) and Ultimate Pool Group (UPG) initially banned transgender women from competing in women’s events in 2023, restricting entry to those who were born female.
After legal pressure, including from Haynes, they reversed the policy, allowing transgender and non-binary athletes to compete if they meet criteria like a four-year female identity and reduced testosterone levels.
As of 2025, both organisations continue to review their policies.
Currently, there is no direct, peer-reviewed research confirming that transgender women have a categorical advantage in the sport of pool.
However, Haynes has previously stated, ‘The evidence that we’ve received from our expert witnesses shows that I have no advantage.
‘They’ve shown that pool isn’t a gender-affected sport.’
In Australia, the inclusion of transgender women in pool and snooker competitions is guided by policies set down by individual sporting organisations, which align with national anti-discrimination laws.
Specifically, Pool Victoria has established guidelines supporting the participation of transgender and gender-diverse individuals, allowing them to compete in the gender category they identify with.
Under Pool Victoria’s guidelines, no medical or legal documentation is required to confirm a person’s gender identity for eligibility.
These principles apply to all levels of involvement within Pool Victoria, from staff and players to spectators, and are supported by resources like Proud 2 Play and Sport Australia.
