Female darts players threatened with disciplinary action after women refuse to compete with transgender opponents

The World Darts Federation issued a formal warning to players, saying they could face disciplinary actions if they withdraw from a tournament after it has started.

The warning is likely in response to the threat of female darts players forfeiting their spots when matched up against transgender athletes who were born male. Multiple female dart-throwers have withdrawn from competition in recent months for this reason.

'Women and girls deserve fair competition in darts.'

"Ahead of an important period in the WDF calendar with regional cups, the World Masters and the World Championships, the WDF wishes to clarify its position on player withdrawals," the organization wrote in an announcement.

"Once the first dart has been thrown in a tournament, any player that subsequently withdraws from playing a match may be considered to be bringing the game into disrepute and could face disciplinary action," they continued. "This stance has been taken to suitably protect our Member Countries, their tournaments and tournament sponsors, as well as to preserve the integrity of the WDF ranking system."

The statement did not address the growing backlash the organization is facing from allowing male players to compete against women.

Particularly, No. 5-ranked Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who is male, has caused an uproar among female players.

In May 2024, Blaze News reported that No. 6 player Deta Hedman forfeited a match in which she was set to compete against van Leuven.

After Hedman was accused of faking an illness to get out of her match, she addressed the situation and clarified her stance.

"No fake illness. I said I wouldn't play a man in a ladies' event," Hedman explained.

At the same time, Dutch players Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra both withdrew from the Netherlands national team over van Leuven's inclusion.

"I have tried to accept this, but I can not condone or justify this," Zijlstra said at the time.

De Graaf added that "at some point you have to make decisions if something goes against your feelings," ABC News reported.

De Graaf and Zijlstra are No. 2 and No. 18 in the world rankings, respectively.

In July, Hedman again pulled out of a tournament for the same reason. She quit the Heart of Darts tournament in the U.K. after drawing transgender opponent Sam Lewis in the third round.

Hedman wrote on Facebook and said, "Not much was discussed about my being right or wrong in my decision not to play a transgender person. But more of an attack on my literacy skills and choice of words!"

Hedman has been circulating petitions at darts events, including one at the Welsh Open in late August. She is asking for others to join her in her demand for a women-only division in darts.

"Women and girls deserve fair competition in darts, and this means we need our own category, restricted to those born female," her petition read. "We believe a womens [sic] section in darts is hugely important for the growth of darts," it added.

Hedman said that she was blown away by the response to her in-person petition and said an online version is needed.

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