Irish billiards champion Kim O’Brien has made headlines after she forfeited her place in the European Pool Championships final, refusing to play against her transgender competitor Harriet Haynes.
A video of the concession was captured and posted online, during which O’Brien can be seen quitting play and shaking the hand of Haynes just before the final was set to kick off. As the forfeit is issued, a woman in the background can be heard amidst cheering, telling O’Brien, “For all the women out there, well done.”
Haynes, who is British, appeared initially shocked at the move, but took O’Brien’s hand. The European Championships, which took place at the Gleneagles Hotel in Killarney, came to an end on Thursday.
The forfeit followed Haynes’s victory over O’Brien last year in the same tournament – with the win, which came at a significant margin, raising concerns about competitive advantage in the sport.
US swimmer Riley Gaines, who shot to fame for her advocacy against biological males competing in women’s sports, described the action as “absolutely incredible.”
Gaines said she would happily pay the prize money the Irish athlete lost out on, adding: “Stop playing their game. More of this!!”
Absolutely incredible.
At the European Pool Championships, female player, Kim O'Brien, forfeited the women's final where she was set to play male player, Harriet Haynes.
I am happily paying her the prize money she lost out on. Stop playing their game. More of this!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/MAKH5KUm15
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) February 29, 2024
O’Brien, who has been playing for 30 years, was also praised by Canadian athlete and campaigner Linda Blade, who said that it was “incredibly sad” that O’Brien had “no other choice” but to forfeit.
A woman who refuses to play a male opponent.
⬇️⬇️⬇️Kim O’Brien had to make a stand but it is incredibly sad that she saw no other solution.
Why?
Because sports leaders don’t know how to say NO to male invasion of the women’s game.#SaveWomensSports from #ProgressiveMisogyny https://t.co/H5Rncms4pm— Linda Blade (@coachblade) February 29, 2024
Australian political commentator Sydney Watson said O’Brien was possibly the fourth pool player to have walked away from a women’s category event so they wouldn’t have to compete against Haynes, adding, “More of this.”
Four women (that we know of) have walked away from women's category pool events so they wouldn't have to compete against Chris "Harriet" Haynes.
Those women are Lynne Pinches, Jo Hobday and Ilda Machado. And now, Kim O'Brien.
More of this. https://t.co/c43pKedFGV
— Dr. Sydney Watson (@SydneyLWatson) February 29, 2024
It is not the first time a player has withdrawn from competing with Haynes. In November, female player Lynne Pinches refused to play Haynes, and walked off during the Women’s Champion of Champions tournament to Harriet Haynes in Prestatyn. The move sparked cheering by spectators and bemusement from Hayes, who picked up the trophy by default.
Pinches later told the British press that walking out was “the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do in the game in my life.”
“I have played 30 years and I’ve never even conceded so much as a frame, never mind a match. This was only my fourth final ever but the trophy or money meant nothing to me without fairness, and that’s what I said to the tournament director afterwards,” she said.
Haynes went on to hit back, saying in response to the walk-out that “bigotry is alive and well,” while arguing that given pool’s status as a ‘precision sport,’ there is no grounds for discrimination to be made. Haynes argued in response that there is no proof transgender players have a competitive advantage, saying last year:
“For all the comments that people hold that being trans is an advantage in cue sports, there is no scientific evidence to prove that. Indeed, that is the view also shared by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and the International Olympic Committee, who classify cue sports as ‘precision sports’ and this not affected by gender.”