Thirty professional female pool players are threatening to sue their governing body for sex discrimination after it allowed transgender players to compete in women’s competitions.

They say this is unfair because trans competitors who were born male but identify as female have a physical advantage in games, including greater upper body strength, the ability to play games at a faster pace and reach further for difficult shots.

If successful, it could set a legal precedent that would make it unlawful to let anyone who is biologically male compete in women’s contests in any discipline.

Peter Daly, of Doyle Clayton solicitors who represents the players, said: ‘The advantages all males have because of their sex… limit women’s ability to qualify and succeed in those competitions. The admission of males into women’s sport is therefore discriminatory.’