Darts bans transgender players in Women's only events in latest victory for female sports

Ed Griffiths
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:49:50 +0000

The Darts Regulation Authority has ruled that transgender players are no longer permitted to participate in women's tournaments, with the policy taking effect today.

Under the new eligibility rules, only biological females will be allowed to enter women's competitions governed by DRA regulations.

The governing body said it was "satisfied that to achieve fair competition in darts, only biological females should be eligible to compete in women's tournaments regulated by DRA rules".

This decision follows a comprehensive review of the authority's previous Trans and Gender Diverse Policy, which began last year and incorporated extensive legal guidance alongside scientific analysis.

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The review was conducted by Dr Emma Hilton, a developmental biologist with extensive publications on sex categories in sporting contexts.

Her analysis determined that darts should be classified as a "gender-affected sport" under Section 195 of the Equality Act 2010.

Dr Hilton's findings identified that numerous physical differences between sexes combine to create a cumulative advantage for male competitors.

These include greater height, longer limbs, wider shoulders, increased muscle mass, and firmer tendons.

Such characteristics improve reach, bodily stability, and throwing mechanics, ultimately affecting both consistency and precision at the oche.

The review also considered last year's UK Supreme Court judgment in the For Women Scotland case.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven, the Dutch transgender player who has claimed multiple women's titles, will be directly affected by the ruling and can no longer compete in these events.

Van Leuven described the DRA's decision as "a huge hit for the trans community".

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During 2024 and 2025, she secured six women's titles along with the associated prize money.

The player also occupied one of two reserved places for women at the world championships.

Van Leuven represented the Dutch women's national team for three years, a position that some argued prevented a biological female from taking that spot on the squad.

Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at the sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, praised the announcement.

She told the Times: "Darts is a male-dominated world, played in pubs and clubs, and the top darts players are all men.

"Men's physical advantages in darts may be small, but they all add up. That's why women need their own tournaments."

McAnena noted that female players had withdrawn from the Dutch national team rather than compete alongside a male competitor, which they considered unfair to others.

The DRA emphasised that open tournaments remain accessible to all competitors regardless of biological sex, legal sex or gender identity.