Transgender women banned from women's PDC darts

Noa-Lynn van Leuven became the first transgender woman to compete in the PDC World Championship in 2024 The Darts Regulation Authority has banned transgender women from competing in its women's events with immediate effect. The DRA, which governs the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), said "only biological females should be eligible to compete in women's tournaments regulated by DRA Rules". It comes after the DRA completed a review of its Trans and Gender Diverse Policy, which began in 2025.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who in 2024 became the first transgender woman to compete in the PDC World Championship, said the decision had "effectively retired her". She remains eligible to play in open tournaments for men and women. "I just got an email and apparently I just got retired, not by choice but because I am no longer allowed to compete," Van Leuven said in a video posted on Instagram.

"The DRA just decided that trans women are no longer allowed in women's events which basically means I am out. "Everyday it is getting harder for trans people to exist, to compete. If you think this stops with me, it doesn't.

We just want to be. " Sex-based rights charity Sex Matters said "men's physical advantages in darts may be small but they all add up". "Darts is a male-dominated world, played in pubs and clubs, and the top darts players are all men.