Female darts star calls for transgender players to be BANNED from women’s ranked events… insisting it has been ‘wrong since day one’ after Lakeside World Championship featured a trans player

• Hedman says she has ‘struggled’ with transgenders playing in women’s darts 
• Monaghan became the first trans woman to play in the world championships
• Hedman says she has raised her concerns with the World Darts Federation

Darts star Deta Hedman has called for transgender players to be banned from competing in ranked women’s tournaments.

Hedman, one of the most well known figures in the women’s darts scene and has been playing the sport for five decades, published a lengthy statement offering her view on the subject.

It comes after Victoria Monaghan became the first transgender person to feature in the WDF World Darts Championship at Lakeside last week in the women’s tournament. 

Noa-Lynn van Leuven meanwhile became the first trans woman to play in a televised darts tournament at the Women’s World Matchplay in July. 

Hedman, a multiple major champion, believes the inclusion of transgender players is ‘damaging’ to women’s darts and that it has been ‘wrong since day one’. 

Deta Hedman has called for transgender players to be banned from ranked women’s events

Victoria Monaghan became the first trans player to feature at the WDF Women’s World Championship  – losing in her first round match against Suzanne Smith earlier this month

In her post on Facebook, she wrote: ‘For many months I’ve struggled with transgenders playing in the women’s world ranked events.’

She then went on to highlight how far women’s darts has come, after Hedman and others ‘fought to get better recognition for women’s darts’ back in the late 1980s. 

Hedman said she ‘packed up’ in 1997 as she felt there was ‘little future for the ladies’  before returning when a women’s championship was formed.   

She then adds: ‘Then came the acceptance of trans women being allowed to play in women’s sports by the WDF, PDC, county darts and independent events.

‘I have though this is wrong since day one, I have no problems with transgenders in life, I’m not close to Noa-Lynn in darts but in fairness seems a lovely person.

‘At Lakeside I met Victoria Monaghan and she is right character we had banter and a fair few laughs, but my personal view is trans shouldn’t playing in women’s ranked events.’

Hedman said she raised her concerns with the WDF, but that the governing body was ‘worried of legal challenges’ and that ‘they needed scientific proof a trans player has an advantage over biological women.’

She also claimed to have contacted Dr Linda Duffy – a former world number one in women’s darts – and mentioned her articles ‘showing exactly why trans players have advantages over biological women, especially when they have gone through puberty as a male.’

Hedman says she has raised her concerns though the WDF are ‘worried of legal challenges’ and ‘needed scientific proof a trans player has an advantage over biological women’

Hedman added: ‘In my opinion those (mainly men) who say no reasons why women can’t play as well as men are talking out of their rear end.’

Monaghan was beaten in straight sets by Suzanne Smith in the first round of the WDF Women’s World Championships. 

Hedman meanwhile reached the quarter-finals where she was beaten by Rhian O’Sullivan, while Beau Greaves won the championship in Sunday’s final. 

The topic of the involvement of transgender athletes has been a topic of discussion in other sports. 

Last month, pool player Lynne Pinches forfeited a tournament final because she refused to face her trans opponent Harriet Haynes.

Pinches took her lag shot to officially start the encounter, but soon after shook hands with Haynes and the referee, packed her cue away, and left the arena – a Pontins in Prestatyn. 

Since her bold statement to retire from what was just her fourth ever final, Pinches has spoken out on her decision, claiming that she made a statement on the fairness of allowing transgender athletes to compete against natal females.

Walking out was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do in the game in my life,’ she told the Telegraph.

Lynne Pinches finished as runner-up in a pool tournament after retiring from the final before the first frame

Pinches (left) refused to face Harriet Haynes over the weekend with her opponent left stunned

Sharron Davies has urged that transgender athletes make swimming ‘ridiculously and atrociously unfair’

‘I have played 30 years and I’ve never even conceded so much as a frame, never mind a match. This was only my fourth final ever but the trophy or money meant nothing to me without fairness, and that’s what I said to the tournament director afterwards.

‘I don’t care about the money or the title or the trophy. I care about fairness. If they hadn’t done that U-turn, we wouldn’t be here now. We were all so elated when they originally said they were going to have a strict category for biological females.’

Former Great Britain swimmer Sharron Davies meanwhile urged that transgender athletes make that sport ‘ridiculously and atrociously unfair’. 

Davies revealed the issues surrounding transgender athletes competing in sport causes her ‘a lot of frustration’ and explained the action of removing testosterone doesn’t prevent a ‘biological advantage’.

Swim England announced in April they had revised their transgender and non-binary competition policy and an ‘open’ category had been introduced for ‘athletes with a birth sex of male, trans or non-binary competitors.’

However, World Cup swimming races designed to accommodate transgender competitors was abandoned in October because no one entered. 

UK Athletics announced a ban on transgender women from competing in the female category across all its events back in March, while the UCI – the world governing body for cycling – has also banned transgender women from competing in the female category at international events. 

Under the UCI’s old guidelines, transgender women could compete in female races if they had lowered their testosterone level to 2.5 nanomoles per litre.

Martina Navratilova insisted that women’s tennis is ‘not for failed male athletes’

That policy came under scrutiny in May when American Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila to become the first transgender rider to triumph at an official UCI stage race.

In tennis, Martina Navratilova criticised the US Tennis Association (USTA) for its stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s tennis tournaments.

It comes as transgender tennis star Alicia Rowley reportedly became the latest player to win a Women’s National Tennis Championship and ‘the coveted Golden Ball’.

The USTA states that trans athletes should be included and not blocked from playing the sport.

Navratilova, wrote: ‘Come on @USTA – women’s tennis is not for failed male athletes- whatever age.

‘This is not right and it is not fair. Would this be allowed at the US Open this month? Just with self ID? I don’t think so…’

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