The football analyst who has become the radio star, Lucy Zelic, has targeted a new sport to allow transgender athletes to play in female competitions – but this time there are big questions about whether the genre offers a competitive advantage.
Zelic is an Australian television presenter and football journalist, better known for welcoming the World Game of SBS, working for Radio Network 2 GB and covering major football events such as the FIFA World Cup.
It previously expressed strong opposition to transgender athletes who participate in female sports, citing problems of equity and security.
She recently criticized The Flying Bats, an LGBTQ + women’s football club based in Sydney, for allowing transgender women to participate.
This led to the author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, known for his critical opinions, also weighing on flying bats.
She republished news from the dominant performances of the team, including a 10-0 victory where a transgender player scored six goals, to underline the concerns concerning equity in women’s sport.
The radio star and 2 GB football analyst, Lucy Zelic (photo), was frank on transgender athletes in female sports
Now Zelic has targeted Pool’s sport, where transgender competitors like Harriet Haynes (photo) are allowed to face biological women
Zelic has already argued that sports like football and rugby require physical parity, which, according to her, is compromised by the inclusion of transgender athletes.
Its position triggered the backlash of the defenders of inclusion, but it remains firm to call for more strict guidelines in all female competitions.
Now she has targeted an unexpected new sport.
Zelic has concentrated his criticisms on Pool, which, she said, has provisions for transgender competitors devoted in its rules of rules.
“The rules of the English swimming pool and the Federation of the World Eightball Pool (WEPF) indicate that trans-identified athletes are authorized to compete in sport without any restriction, according to their website, said Zelic.
His article included an image of a title of news that read
He is subtitled: “The pair has won around 75% of their matches”.
This article concerns the players of the British swimming pool Harriet Haynes – who held the titles of the world of the masters, the European championship and the simple British nationals in the category of ladies in 2024 – and Lucy Smith, who are both transgender.
Zelic claims that transgender competitors are authorized to participate in pool competitions in the United Kingdom without restrictions
Haynes has a solid record for victories and recently reached the final of a championship against another transgender competitor
He claims to have defeated four biologically female opponents to go to the championship match.
Before the final, Smith had won 85 of the 113 matches and 62% of the images since 2021.
Haynes entered with a 75% victory rate and had claimed 61% of the images in 241 games.
The couple met in the British semi-finals in October, where Haynes beat Smith. However, Haynes continued to lose the final against a biological woman.
The rules indicating that they are authorized to compete by the World Federation of Eight Balles have been under examination since 2023.
Lynne Pinches, one of the best pool players in Great Britain, refused a professional swimming pool contract in the United Kingdom because of her opposition to competition against transgender women in women’s categories.
In November 2023, during the female champion champion tournament, she lost the last match against the Transgender player Harriet Haynes, citing concerns about equity.
Pinches said that his own experiences revealed that men can hit a pool ball up to 42 km / h, while for women, the maximum is 31 km / h.
The British swimming pool star Lynne Pinches lost a final against Haynes to protest against equity in sport
The Eight Balle Pool World Federation (WEPF) and the ultimate swimming pool group (UPG) initially prohibited transgender women from participating in female events in 2023, restoring entry to those born.
After legal pressure, including Haynes, they reversed the policy, allowing transgender and non -binary athletes to compete if they meet the criteria as a female identity of four years and a reduction in testosterone levels.
Since 2025, the two organizations have continued to review their policies.
Currently, there is no direct research and evaluated by peers confirming that transgender women have a categorical advantage in the sport of the swimming pool.
However, Haynes previously said: “The evidence we have received from our expert witnesses show that I have no advantage.
“They have shown that the swimming pool is not a sport affected by the sexes.”
In Australia, the inclusion of transgender women in swimming pool and snooler competitions is guided by policies established by individual sports organizations, which align with national anti-discrimination laws.
More specifically, Pool Victoria has established guidelines supporting the participation of transgender and gender idiots, allowing them to compete in the gender category with which they identify.
According to the directives of Pool Victoria, no medical or legal document is required to confirm the sex identity of a person for eligibility.
These principles apply to all levels of involvement within the Victoria swimming pool, staff and players to spectators, and are supported by resources like Proud 2 Play and Sport Australia.
