- A transgender Australian is the women's croquet world champion
- Jamie Gumbrell, 23, won the tournament in Sussex in August
- But her rivals aren't happy she took part
Furious croquet players are feeling 'quite sick' after a transgender Australian became women's world champion.
Jamie Gumbrell from Canberra won the Women's Golf Croquet Championship in August, but it has since emerged that the 23-year-old, who identified as male until 2019, is a transgender competitor.
The World Croquet Federation changed its rules two years ago, allowing participants to nominate their own gender.
But rival members have now spoken out against her The Telegraph report that some competitors were unaware they would be competing against a biological male at the Sussex tournament.
They also argued that Gumbrell had strength advantages because she was born male.
Croquet has been hit by a transgender row after Jamie Gumbrell won the women's world title
“There was a huge amount of anxiety,” Sue Lightbody, a member of the England team at the World Cup, told the same newspaper.
'But no one was willing to say or do anything. I was quite sick of the situation. We thought it would work against us, that we wouldn't be picked for another team.
'Everything was quiet, everyone was afraid of being called transphobic.
“People told me not to get involved and said, 'Don't do anything or you'll make yourself very unpopular.'
'But this simply cannot happen. It's fundamentally unfair.'
Ian Burridge, chairman of the WCF, responded: 'The fact that Jamie was assigned male at birth is not disputed by anyone.
“Jamie now identifies as female as her participation in the World Championships was determined in accordance with our policy, approved by our members in April 2021.
“We welcome feedback given the concerns that exist.”
Since identifying as a woman, Gumbrell has won every tournament she has entered, according to The Telegraph.
Gumbrell defeated England's Rachel Gee 7–2 in the final, with the original report claiming Gee cried behind her sunglasses during the trophy presentation.
Gumbrell, 23, was born a biological male and her rivals claim she has an unfair advantage
Lightbody added that Gumbrell's strength advantage was unfair to the rest of the competition.
“An important shot in golf croquet is the jump shot,” she said.
“If you're on the edge, you can jump over a few balls and get through a hoop. I can only do mid jumps, I can't do any from the baseline.
“But Jamie can. That's a huge advantage over a woman.'
Gumbrell first played croquet at the age of 15 after being introduced to the sport by her grandparents.
“They took Jamie to the Canberra Croquet Club where she has been a member ever since,” reads her biography on the World Croquet Women's Golf Championship website. 'Peter Freer guided and taught her to play.'