PDC chief executive Matt Porter has defended their policy on transgender darts players ahead of Noa-Lynn van Leuven making history at the Grand Slam of Darts and PDC World Championship.
Van Leuven will become the first trans player to play in a televised PDC tournament against men when she appears at the Grand Slam of Darts from November 9-17, live on Sky Sportsbefore playing in the World Championship the following month at Alexandra Palace.
The 28-year-old – who transitioned in 2021 – secured places in both events after ending the season second behind Beau Greaves in the PDC Women’s Order of Merit, having won four times and added three other runner-up finishes during an impressive campaign.
Van Leuven’s appearance in women’s competitions has previously received hostility from some players, with Deta Hedman withdrawing from World Darts Federation (WDF) events earlier this year rather than face her, although Porter remains ‘comfortable’ with the PDC’s stance.
“We took legal advice and we took some ideas from policy that other sports bodies, the IOC and other governing bodies have put in place,” Porter exclusively told Sky Sports.
“Ultimately, we came up with a policy that we believe to be fair. We respect the fact that not everybody agrees with that and we accept that it’s not a unanimously accepted position.
“However, it’s a position that we’ve adopted and that we believe is fair. Noa-Lynn’s been playing – and others – have been playing under that rule for a number of years now.
“Noa-Lynn’s started to achieve more success in recent years, hence the opposition to her has become more vocal, which is the way of the world. Again, it’s something we respect but ultimately we have a policy in place and it’s one that we’re comfortable with.”
How has darts reacted to Van Leuven’s rise?
Van Leuven has previously described the behaviour towards her as “toxic b******” and accused the WDF in September of leaving transgender players “cancelled”, reporting in a social media post that a vote had been made by members preventing their participation in female events.
“There is also other things happening behind the scenes… Especially on trying to get trans people excluded from sports,” Van Leuven posted on Instagram. “As it stands now Trans people are getting cancelled within the WDF.
“When is it going to happen? No one knows yet! But the members voted for it.”
Sky Sports has approached the WDF to clarify their position on transgender participation in women’s events. Their Transgender Athlete Policy, published in Aprilread: “The WDF believes in equal opportunity for all people to participate in the sport of darts, as athletes, coaches, officials, staff and other volunteers.
“However, in instances where a transgender individual wishes to compete, the WDF will consider eligibility guidelines to ensure a fair and level playing field for all participants.”
The WDF issued a statement in August to warn against players withdrawing from matches, which said: ‘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.”
Van Leuven had qualified for the 2024 WDF World Championships, taking place from November 29-December 8, although withdrew from the event after accepting her invitation to play in the PDC World Championship.
Every tournament staged by the PDC is held under the rules laid down by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), who issued their Trans and Gender Diverse Policy earlier this year to reiterate darts as an “inclusive sport”.
They said: “The Darts Regulation Authority as the world governing body for Darts encourages mixed gender events. The only exceptions are the Women’s Series and Women’s Matchplay operated by the PDC.
“Darts is open to all who wish to be involved in any capacity and we encourage all trans and non-binary participants to take part.”
Van Leuven will face former world champions Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson in the round-robin stage of the Grand Slam of Darts, with Ryan Joyce completing that group. Watch the Grand Slam of Darts live every day from November 9-17 on Sky Sports.
