Noa-Lynn van Leuven has been prohibited from participating in any women-only events organized by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) following a recent decision by the sport’s governing body, which has established that only biological females are eligible to compete in women’s tournaments.
The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) has announced that transgender women will no longer be allowed to take part in women’s events. As a result, van Leuven is barred from entering the PDC Women’s Series, where she has secured six championships, and she will also be ineligible to qualify for the Women’s World Matchplay, an event she was aiming to enter this summer.
The DRA explained that this ruling is aimed at ensuring “fair competition in darts.” To inform their decision, the DRA consulted a report by Dr. Emma Hilton, a developmental biologist who has researched sex and categories in sports. The report concluded that darts is influenced by gender, identifying several physical disparities that provide male players with an inherent advantage over their female counterparts.
According to the findings, while social factors contribute to the performance gap, specific physical traits give males an edge. The report highlighted advantages such as greater height, longer limbs, broader shoulders, increased muscle mass, and stiffer tendons. These characteristics improve reach, stability, and throwing mechanics, which in turn affect consistency and accuracy in performance.
This decision follows a recent announcement from the International Olympic Committee, which has prohibited transgender women from competing in the female category of events beginning with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In a social media post on Thursday afternoon, van Leuven expressed her dismay, stating that she felt as though she had been “retired” by this ruling. “I just received an email,” the 29-year-old wrote on Instagram. “Apparently, I have been retired, not by choice, but because I am no longer allowed to compete.”
She continued, “The DRA has decided that trans women cannot participate in women’s events, which effectively means I am out. I have dedicated years of hard work to reach this point. I have consistently shown up and competed with respect for the sport every single day.”
Van Leuven lamented, “Now, with just one decision, I am being told I no longer belong. This is not solely about me; it represents another significant setback for the transgender community, especially in light of the recent IOC decisions. Each day, it becomes increasingly difficult for trans individuals to exist and compete. If anyone believes this issue stops with me, they are mistaken. We simply want to exist.”
Despite this setback, van Leuven still has the opportunity to pursue a career at the highest level of darts, as the PDC’s professional tour is open to all players. Currently, Beau Greaves is the only female competitor on the tour, while the former women’s world champion, Lisa Ashton, held a professional tour card for two years, from 2020 to 2021.
