Dutch darts professional Noa-Lynn van Leuven has addressed the World Darts Federation's new regulations that ban transgender women from female competitions.
Earlier this week, the WDF decided to take action to prevent biological men from facing biological women.
But Van Leuven has been left disappointed, with the 28-year-old lamenting the ban and taking aim at officials.
"This past Monday, the WDF (World Darts Federation) released a new policy regarding gender eligibility," said the darts star.
Dutch darts professional Noa-Lynn van Leuven has addressed the World Darts Federation's new regulations that ban transgender women from female competitions
|PA
"I want to take a moment to respond. This decision does affect me personally though, thankfully, not too severely at this point in time. But still, it hurts.
"Once again, it’s a loss for the trans community in sports. And that breaks my heart.
"As a trans person in the darts world, I know how vital inclusion is not just on paper, but in practice. It’s disheartening to see yet another policy framed around 'fairness' that ultimately results in exclusion, without truly considering the people behind the labels.
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"My heart goes out to all the athletes impacted by this. We remain visible. We keep going."
Van Leuven's Instagram post highlighted how the WDF's emphasis on what they termed fairness had resulted in the marginalisation of transgender athletes from women's competitions.
The WDF has implemented a requirement limiting women's tournament participation to those designated female from birth.
This renders Van Leuven ineligible for their women's championships, even though the player satisfies the Darts Regulation Authority's gender requirements that govern the sport more widely.
The debate surrounding transgender athletes in women's categories has prompted regulatory shifts across multiple sports.
World Athletics and World Aquatics have introduced bans preventing transgender competitors who experienced male puberty from participating in female international events.
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Noa-Lynn van Leuven is disappointed with the WDF
| Sky SportsThese policy changes reflect an ongoing controversy in elite sport about balancing competitive considerations with inclusivity.
The WDF's decision aligns with this broader pattern of sporting bodies revising their eligibility criteria for women's competitions, affecting transgender athletes across various disciplines.