A female darts legend has withdrawn from a match in which she was scheduled to play against a transgender player, saying she has no intention of competing against a man in a women’s event.
British darts player Deta Hedman, who has championed female darts in recent months, has refused to play in a match against male competitor Noa-Lynn van Leuven at the Denmark Open tournament.
The two were scheduled to meet in the quarterfinals, but Hedman refused to play.
The transgender athlete received a forfeit and made it to the semi-finals, but lost to Beau Graves, a British woman. According to , van Leuven was actually the defending champion (2023). out kickand Hedman won his sixth championship in 2022.
This is not the first time Van Leuven has caused anger in the sporting world. Less than two months before the tournament, two women were dropped from the Dutch squad over van Leuven’s participation.
Anka Zylstra and Eileen de Graaf left the team, with Zylstra stating: “I have tried to accept this, but I cannot condone or justify it.”
De Graaf added: “If something goes against your feelings, you have to make a decision at some point.” ABC News report.
As for Hedman, she has made her position on the issue clear. She has made multiple posts about protecting women’s sports, including this graphic: Facebook It read, “Women and girls deserve to be champions in their respective sports.”
She also posted a simple image X It said, “Protect women’s sports.”
Similarly, Hedman darts world She talked about how far women have come in their sports and pointed out that “inclusivity” is a buzzword thrown around primarily by men.
Danish darts reporter Hill Birds questioned Hedman’s forfeiture. claimed She told tournament organizers that she was “unable to play” because she was “sick and in pain.”
Hedman directly responded to these allegations in several statements, saying he first posted:blatant lie. ”
In addition to saying, spoke directly In a meeting with the tournament director, she also stated that she would not compete against men in women’s events.
“I said I’m not pretending to be sick, I won’t play a man at a women’s event. Don’t listen to Phil Birds, who knows he’s nice.” [f*** all]So are his trusted sources,” Hedman explained.
The Birds had told the reader He said he had a reliable source, but that person “preferred to remain anonymous.”
Barrs was offended by Hedman’s comments, calling her comments “transphobic.”
“The debate surrounding trans athletes in women’s sports is a different matter, but this comment calling a trans woman a man is simply transphobic and should be addressed by sports authorities as there is no place for it.” he wrote. X.
In response, a reader posted a photo of Van Leuven and called him “.”Cheating. ”
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and women’s sports activist, heard the story and said she would be willing to pay for the money Hedman lost by withdrawing from the event.
“I have to get in touch with Deta Hedman. I want to pay her the winnings she missed out on, just like Seth Dillon and I did with pool player Kim O’Brien. Courage should be rewarded.” Gaines. Said.
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