The World Darts Federation (WDF) announced earlier this week that transgender women—those assigned male at birth—will no longer be eligible to compete in its women’s events.
The policy shift sparked a strong reaction from one transgender darts competitor, who took to Instagram to voice her disappointment, describing the move as a “loss for the trans community in sports.”
“This past Monday, the WDF (World Darts Federation) released a new policy regarding gender eligibility. I want to take a moment to respond. This decision does affect me personally — though, thankfully, not too severely at this point in time. But still, it hurts,” wrote Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
She continued, “Once again, it’s a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart. As a trans person in the darts world, I know how vital inclusion is — not just on paper, but in practice.”
Van Leuven expressed concern that the principle of “fairness” was being used as justification for policies that ultimately result in exclusion.
“It’s disheartening to see yet another policy framed around ‘fairness’ that ultimately results in exclusion, without truly considering the people behind the labels. My heart goes out to all the athletes impacted by this. We remain visible. We keep going,” she added.
A two-time WDF Dutch Open semifinalist in 2023 and 2024, Van Leuven has since transitioned to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where she has claimed six women’s titles.
Van Leuven’s move to the PDC was met with backlash from some within the darts community. Two of her former teammates on the Dutch national team resigned after her switch to the PDC. Additionally, British darts player Deta Hedman refused to compete against her in a WDF event last year.
Despite the controversy, Van Leuven has also participated in open competitions that include both biological men and women.
In November, PDC executive Matt Porter defended the organization’s position on transgender players, stating he believed the current policy is “fair” and said there were no plans to amend it, even after a U.K. Supreme Court ruling clarified legal definitions of “man,” “woman,” and “sex.”
