Transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven will no longer be allowed to participate in women's tournaments under the World Darts Federation.
It comes after the WDF updated their eligibility rules with the decision being ratified on Monday.
A vote from WDF members heralded the change in the controversial ruling, which had originally allowed transgender players who identified as women to take part in women's tournaments.
However, a meeting in September last year called for the organisation to restrict participation in women's tournaments to only those who are female at birth.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven has been banned from taking part in WDF women's tournaments
| PAAfter nearly a year, that ruling has now been put into place with immediate effect.
A WDF statement on the change said: "Effective Monday 28 July 2025, entry and participation in WDF Women’s and Girls Ranking Tournaments and Cups will only be open to players that are WOMEN/FEMALE as defined under this policy.
"Accordingly, WDF Tournaments, Cups and Ranking Tables will be renamed and redefined as 'Open', 'Women', 'Open Youth' and 'Girls' tournaments and cups.
"We understand these changes may be challenging for people who want to compete in darts in the gender which they are now registered as.
"The WDF has directly contacted its Member Countries so as they can discuss these changes with affected players directly."
The change will have a direct impact on current transgender player Van Leuven, who has effectively been banned from women's tournaments under the WDF's control.
However, the Dutch player will still be allowed to compete in tournaments in the Open category, which is open to males and females.
Van Leuven will also not be affected by competitions under the Professional Darts Corporation.
The PDC operate under different rules than the WDF and have yet to make any announcement on their transgender policies.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven will still be able to take part in women events under the PDC
| PDCVan Leuven most recently took part in the Women's World Matchplay of Darts in Blackpool but was beaten in the semi-final by eventual winner Lisa Ashton.
The 28-year-old is currently ranked fourth in the PDC Women's Order of Merit, with the top three eligible to qualify for the WDC.
The Dutch player took on compatriot Michael van Gerwen in the Grand Slam of Darts last year, with the Green Machine coming out in support.
He said: "It's just heartbreaking. She does what she does and she can play terrific darts.
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| PDC"Let her play nice. For me, there's never been a discussion, but I don't make the rules. The PDC has people who go over them.
"They can never make the right choice anyway. If they go left, people say they should go right and vice versa.
"Everyone has an opinion about it, but there is no point at all in continuing to argue."