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

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

Hedman, one of women’s darts’ most prominent figures who has been playing the sport for five decades, released a lengthy statement outlining her views on the matter.

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

Meanwhile, Noa-Lynn van Leeuwen became the first trans woman to compete 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 “harmful” for women’s darts and that it has been “wrong from day one”.

In his post on Facebookshe wrote: “For months I have struggled with transgender players playing in world-ranked women’s tournaments.”

She then highlighted how far women’s darts has come since Hedman and others “fought for better recognition of women’s darts” back in the late 1980s.

Hedman said she “packed up” in 1997 as she felt there was “little future” for women, before returning when the Women’s Championship was formed.

She then adds: “Then came the recognition that trans women were being allowed into women’s sport by the WDF, PDC, county darts and independent events.

“Even though it’s been wrong from day one, I have no problem with trans people in my life, I’m not close to Noah-Lynn at darts, but I honestly seem like a lovely person.

“I met Victoria Monaghan at Lakeside and she’s right, we bantered and had a lot of laughs, but my personal opinion is that transgender people shouldn’t play in women’s ranking events.”

Hedman said she had expressed her concerns to the WDF, but the governing body was “concerned about legal issues” and that “they need scientific evidence that a trans player has an advantage over biological women.”

She also claimed to have contacted Dr Linda Duffy – former world number one in women’s darts – and mentioned her articles “showing why trans players have an advantage over biological women, especially when they have gone through puberty as men.”

Hedman added: “In my opinion, these (mostly men) who don’t give reasons why women can’t play as well as men are talking out of their asses.”

Monaghan lost to Suzanne Smith in straight sets in the first round of the WDF Women’s World Championship.

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

The topic of participation of transgender athletes has been repeatedly discussed in other sports.

Last month, pool player Lynne Pinches lost her chance to compete in the tournament final because she refused to face her trans opponent, Harriet Haynes.

Pinches made her retirement throw to officially start the fight, but shortly afterwards shook hands with Haynes and the referee, put away her cue and left the arena – Pontins in Prestatyn.

Following her bold statement about withdrawing from the final, which was only her fourth ever, Pinches spoke out about her decision, saying she was making a statement about the fairness of allowing transgender athletes to compete against transgender women.

Leaving was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in a game in my life,” she told the Telegraph.

“I’ve been playing for 30 years and I’ve never missed a frame, let alone a match. It was only my fourth final but the trophy or the money meant nothing to me without fairness and that’s what I told the tournament director afterwards.

“I don’t care about the money, the title or the trophy. I care about justice. If they hadn’t made that U-turn, we wouldn’t be here now. We were all thrilled when they initially said they were going to introduce a strict category for biological women.”

Former British swimmer Sharron Davies meanwhile called on transgender athletes to make the sport “ridiculous and terribly unfair”.

Davis said issues surrounding transgender athletes competing in sports cause her “a lot of frustration” and explained that removing testosterone does not interfere with “biological advantage.”

In April, Swim England announced it had reviewed its competition policy for transgender and non-binary athletes, and an “open” category had been introduced for “athletes whose gender is male, transgender or non-binary”.

However, a World Cup swimming event designed to accommodate transgender competitors was canceled in October because no one was taking part.

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

Under the old UCI rules, transgender women could compete in women’s racing if they reduced their testosterone levels to 2.5 nanomoles per liter.

The policy came under scrutiny in May when American Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila and became the first transgender rider to win an official UCI stage race.

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

It comes as transgender tennis star Alicia Rowley has reportedly become the latest tennis player to win the Women’s National Tennis Championship and receive the “coveted Ballon d’Or”.

The USTA says trans athletes should be included rather than blocked from participating in the sport.

Navratilova wrote: “Come on @USTA – women’s tennis is not for unsuccessful male athletes, regardless of age.

“This is wrong and unfair. Will this be allowed at the US Open this month? Just with an ID? I don’t think so…”