Published on September 4, 2024, 1:03 am

The World Darts Federation has recently issued a sharp warning against female competitors who refuse to play against trans-identifying males. Any such act of refusal may be seen as tarnishing the reputation of the Federation and may incur disciplinary action. This announcement follows months from an incident wherein prominent British female darts player, Deta Hedman, decided to drop out rather than compete against a biological male.

The WDF underscored its position on player withdrawals in an official statement. The Federation made it clear that any withdrawal post the commencement of a tournament might be perceived as damaging to the sport’s integrity, subsequently leading to disciplinary actions.

Explaining their reasoning further, the WDF stated that this stance was taken with the intent to safeguard their member countries and maintain fairness within competitions and sponsors while preserving the sanctity of the WDF ranking system.

Earlier in May, Deta Hedman drew significant attention by withdrawing from her competition in Denmark due to being pit against another competitor—Noa-Lynn van Leuven—who identifies as transgender. After forfeiting her game before reaching quarterfinals, Hedman took to social media expressing her belief that “biological born men” should not “compete in women’s sports.”

She further affirmed how there was no pretense behind her actions; she had openly declared that she would not participate against a male competitor in what was meant to be a ladies event. Hedman also chose to pull back from another competition last month after learning about having yet another transgender opponent.

Reacting strongly to the WDF’s recent clarification about penalizing such withdrawals, Hedman told Telegraph Sport that she felt it directly targeted her actions; adding that women born biologically seem overlooked regarding their feelings or mental health concerns. In contrast, there is focused attention on fortifying mental health support for transwomen competitors.

Hedman expressed profound distress over facing difficulties honoring women’s feelings on this issue—a matter not just close to her heart, but one which also deeply impacts their mental health. Reflecting on her withdrawal in May due to the mandatory requirement of competing against a biological male, Hedman voiced how this has been troubling her for quite some time. She confessed being “a mess” after that incident.

This development tumbling down into the world of darts is reminiscent of similar debates caught up elsewhere around the issue of transgender participation in women’s sports — one where the importance of real news and trustworthy sources cannot be overstated; all viewed under the scrutinizing lens of Christian Worldview that champions fair play and respect for all competitors.