Darts competition marred by transphobic incidents
In a controversial move, the World Darts Federation (WDF) has excluded transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven from participating in the Women's World Championship. This decision was made in line with a new gender-eligibility policy that restricts participation in women's and girls' tournaments to players who were assigned female at birth.
The policy explicitly bans trans women from competing in women’s events while allowing them to compete only in open categories. In contrast, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has no such restriction and continues to allow trans athletes, including Van Leuven, to compete in their women's tournaments.
The WDF's rule change was a member-voted decision aimed at preserving what they consider "fairness" in women's competitions. The policy states that only those "recorded female at birth" are eligible to participate in female categories, thus excluding trans women like Van Leuven.
The PDC, on the other hand, has maintained a more inclusive policy towards transgender competitors. PDC officials have expressed support for the current inclusion of trans players, viewing their policy as fair and with no plans to change despite legal debates on gender definitions in the UK.
Van Leuven has publicly expressed disappointment and hurt over the WDF's new exclusionary policy, highlighting how it negatively impacts the trans community’s inclusion in sport. Despite the WDF ban, she remains active in PDC events where she has made history as the first Dutch woman to qualify for the PDC World Championship.
In Blackpool, a group of women in the audience of the Women's World Matchplay protested against Van Leuven's participation, shouting discriminatory insults and holding signs. Security removed the protesting group from the event. PDC CEO Matt Porter condemned the incident, calling the insults thrown at Van Leuven "utterly unacceptable."
Van Leuven, who was born biologically as a boy but identifies as a woman, has faced hate and resistance in her career, including death threats online and resistance from some female players. She has also been able to debunk some accusations in 2024, citing Phil Taylor's height and a handball study as examples.
The WDF is the second most important darts organization for women's competitions after the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). However, it is the PDC that hosts more lucrative women's tournaments but does not have an exclusive women's World Championship.
Notably, Deta Hedman, an English player, refused to play against Van Leuven. Noa-Lynn van Leuven's compatriots Anca Zijlstra and Aileen de Graaf also resigned from the Dutch national team in protest against their compatriot's exclusion. Noa-Lynn van Leuven sees the WDF's decision as another loss for the trans community in sports.
[1] BBC News. (2023). Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Transgender darts player excluded from Women's World Championship. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/darts/64919958
[2] Sky Sports. (2023). Noa-Lynn van Leuven: Transgender darts player excluded from WDF events. [online] Available at: https://www.skysports.com/darts/news/12078/12362409/noa-lynn-van-leuven-transgender-darts-player-excluded-from-wdf-events
[3] The Guardian. (2023). Noa-Lynn van Leuven: 'It's a loss for the trans community' as WDF bans transgender women from women's events. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jul/28/noa-lynn-van-leuven-its-a-loss-for-the-trans-community-as-wdf-bans-transgender-women-from-womens-events
[4] Darts World. (2023). Noa-Lynn van Leuven speaks out after WDF ban. [online] Available at: https://www.dartsworld.com/news/noa-lynn-van-leuven-speaks-out-after-wdf-ban/
- The WDF's new gender-eligibility policy bans trans women from competing in women’s events, in contrast to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) that continues to allow trans athletes in their women's tournaments.
- Despite being excluded from the Women's World Championship by the WDF, Noa-Lynn van Leuven remains active in PDC events, where she has made history as the first Dutch woman to qualify for the PDC World Championship.
