A British female darts player forfeited from the 2024 Denmark Open after refusing to compete against a transgender opponent.
Deta Hedman removed herself from the competition held from May 3–5, when she was set to face off against Noa-Lynn van Leuven in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The 64-year-old took to social media to clarify her decision, following speculation that she opted not to play due to illness as well as declining compensation she may have lost from the event.
She went on to offer her disdain for transgender players competing in the sport, amid her previous calls to exclude the athletes completely.
The international coalition centers its activism around calling for “fairness in women’s sport” that says “biological sex matters.”
Despite her personal opinions on the matter, Ms. Hedman noted she would have no issue competing against a transgender opponent if the event is not world-ranked.
Further, she pointed to the rules of the World Darts Federation (WDF) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
For at least four years, the gender identity must remain the same, as the transgender female may not have a “presumption of advantage.”
They note darts remains an inclusive sport and “is open to all who wish to be involved in any capacity.”
Mr. Van Leuven started identifying as a transgender woman in 2014 and joined the Dutch women’s professional darts team. After signing on, two other teammates, Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra, resigned in protest of the move.
“Because a biological man plays for the women’s team, it is time to go. I have tried to accept this but I cannot condone this. I believe that in sports there should be an equal and fair playing field, which should be used and accepted in good faith. After all, we have worked so hard to be relevant and competitive in this sport.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Van Leuven went on to make it to the semifinals of the Denmark Open before losing to Beau Graves in the competition.