Transgender darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven breaks silence on being banned from tournaments

Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven said that her ban from participating in women's tournaments held by the World Darts Federation (WDF) "breaks my heart." The WDF changed its eligibility rules on Monday following a vote by members, after a proposal was launched in a general meeting to decide on whether to restrict participation to only those who are biologically female.

Van Leuven, who is the first openly transgender darts player, will now only be able to participate in the 'open' category which allows players from all genders to participate. She is currently still eligible to play in tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation, such as the World Championship, however, as it operates under different rules to the WDF.

A spokesperson for the WDF said: "Effective Monday 28 July 2025, entry and participation in WDF Women's and Girls Ranking Tournaments and Cups will only be open to players that are WOMEN/FEMALE as defined under this policy.

"Accordingly, WDF Tournaments, Cups and Ranking Tables will be renamed and redefined as 'Open', 'Women', 'Open Youth' and 'Girls' tournaments and cups.

"We understand these changes may be challenging for people who want to compete in darts in the gender which they are now registered as.

"The WDF has directly contacted its Member Countries so as they can discuss these changes with affected players directly."

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Taking to Instagram to react to the news, she criticised the rule change: "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. 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. 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."

Van Leuven became the first transgender player to ever qualify for the World Championship last year and claimed that she received death threats. She took a break from the sport earlier this year for "mental health" reasons.

At the World Matchplay last week, three protestors were removed after confronting Van Leuven while a "he's a man" banner was held aloft in Blackpool.

One of the demonstrators wore a 'Save Women's Sport' t-shirt before being forcibly ejected from the premises.