A transsexual Australian was named the women’s world champion, which infuriated some of her rivals, and sparked a controversy in the typically pleasant game of croquet.
The Women’s Golf Croquet Championship was won by 23-year-old Jamie Gumbrell of Canberra in Southwick, England, back in August. Her defeated rivals have n’t expressed their displeasure in the British media until months later.
Gumbrell first participated in the game as a gentleman as recently as 2019, but she has since changed her gender and is now identified as female.
She was an “assigned men at birth,” as the World Croquet Federation acknowledges, but the rules of the governing body do not forbid her from playing the children’s game.
Gumbrell received enthusiastic applause at a low-key prize demonstration in August after defeating England’s Rachel Gee in the championship last. ( After the six-hour mark, you can watch this presentation online, a touch. )
I really wanted to say thank you to everyone. Gumbrell said in a succinct, restrained talk,” All the referees, the competition managers, everyone in the home, everybody involved with livestreaming, and all the people.”
” It has been incredible. It has been extremely difficult. Additionally, Rachel, you certainly did not make that final activity simple.
Gumbrell entered the competition for the first time in the women’s world championship, and she finished with a great 11-0 history. Gee, on the other hand, had been vying to be the only person to win the championship multiple times.
The Australian’s” handled, effective swing and ultra-calm demeanor” was praised in media protection of the final, which was written by people with far more croquet knowledge than I did.
However, another golf players are now criticizing the federation for how they handled Gumbrell’s admittance into the competition, claiming they were unprepared to face off against a “biological man” and were unaware of her presence.
There was a great deal of unease, according to Sue Lightbody, an English worldwide, in the British Telegraph paper.
However, no one was ready to speak or act. The condition made me feel very ill. We believed that the fact that we would n’t be chosen for another team would work against us. All was quiet because they were concerned about being labeled misogynistic.
Individuals warned me against getting engaged, warning me not to do anything because doing so would make me very unhappy. However, this simply should n’t occur. Fundamentally, it is n’t fair.
Although physical power is less important in golf than it is in other sports, Lightbody argued that it still matters and that Gumbrell does have an advantage because he went through adolescence as a man.
The bounce shot is a crucial shot in golf golf, she told The Telegraph.
” You can climb over a few balls and squeeze through the hoops if you’re on the limit.” I may only perform mid-jumps; I am unable to perform one from the foundation. Jamie, however, is.
That gives you a significant edge over women.
Gumbrell’s natural advantages were n’t just limited to bounce shots, according to another world championship company who wanted to remain anonymous.
I have to use 80 % of my power to reach a ball that weighs 1.1 kg 22 miles. You lose more detail the more power you use. She added that energy is also a factor.
However, in a way, the “why” is not that crucial. The fact that only 12 of the top 100 players in the world rankings are female demonstrates that there is a distinction.
We always anticipated experiencing this issue. In the finale, Rachel, who at the close was hiding behind her glasses because she was crying, made me feel really bad for her. She did n’t voice any complaints. She had worked incredibly hard to become the women’s world champion, but then a naturally female comes and takes it apart.
Ian Burrell, the leader of the World Croquet Federation, emphasized that the club’s sex policy was based on self-identification.
Nobody contests the fact that Jamie was born a man, he said.
Jamie then self-identifies as a woman, and our legislation, which was approved by our people in April 2022, governed her entry into the world championships.
Given the issues with speaking out in this area, we welcome comments.
