April 10 2026, 08:15 
Transgender Dutch darts champion Noa-Lynn van Leuven recently announced that the Darts Regulatory Authority (DRA) has “retired” her with its new policy banning trans women from competing in women’s events. The 29-year-old champion called the new policy “another huge hit for the trans community.”
On Thursday, the DRA (the independent governing body that regulates professional and some amateur darts competitions) announced that it “replaced its Trans and Gender Diverse Policy with an Eligibility Policy and Rules for open and women’s tournaments, which will now be in operation across affiliated organizations,” including the U.K.-based groups, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Professional Darts Players Assocation (PDPA), Sports Bible reported.
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The DRA’s policy review commissioned developmental biologist Dr. Emma Hilton, who has published several papers on gender and sports, to examine sex differences in the sport. She concluded that “multiple, small magnitude sex differences accumulate to generate male advantage over females in darts.”
As such, the DRA announced that it will no longer allow trans women to compete in its women’s competitions. Instead, they will have to compete in an “open” category, which allows players of any gender.
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The policy change personally affects van Leuven, as it as now excludes her from competing in the PDC Women’s Series, where she has won six titles across the previous two seasons.
“I just got an email. Apparently, I just got retired, not by choice, but because I’m no longer allowed to compete,” said van Leuven in a recent Instagram post about the DRA’s policy change. “The DRA just decided that trans women are no longer allowed in women’s events, which basically means I’m out.”
“I’ve worked so damn hard for years just to get here: I showed up, I competed, I respected the sport every game, every single day,” she continued. “And now, with just one decision, I’m being told I don’t belong anymore.”
“This isn’t just about me. This is another huge hit for the trans community, especially after recent decisions made by the IOC [International Olympic Committee],” she continued, referring to the IOC’s recent banning of trans women and mandatory genetic testing for all female athletes.
“Every day it’s getting harder and harder for trans people just to exist, to compete. If you think this stops with me, it doesn’t,” she continued. “We just want to be.”
Last July, van Leuven was banned from the World Darts Federation (WDF) after it announced new rules banning trans women from women’s tournaments. Last May, English player Deta Hedman forfeited a match against van Leuven rather than compete against her.
“I’m not scared to play in the WDF, but I’m not comfortable,” she told The i Paper last December. “Every time I play a tournament in the WDF, something happens against me. Either bullying, or in Wales, someone even threw a tennis ball at me, and it hit me full in the face.”
At the time, van Leuven said she intended to continue to compete. “I love this game too much, and why would I let anyone else ruin my passion for darts?” she told the Daily Record. “I just want to play darts.”
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