Champion British darts player Deta Hedman declared she “wouldn’t play a man in a ladies event” when she forfeited her quarter-final at the Denmark Open against transgender opponent Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
Hedman, long a vocal critic of rules allowing men to compete in women’s darts tournaments, refused to play Van Leuven in Esbjerg and missed out on the chance to fight for a spot in the semi-finals.
The Daily Express reports when it was claimed by a journalist on social media that Hedman had told tournament organisers she could not play due to illness, the 64-year-old directly responded: “No fake illness, I said I wouldn’t play a man in a ladies event. Don’t listen to @phillbarrs he knows sweet [f*** all], nor does his reliable source.”
Hedman is a three-time WDF World Champion runner-up, and has been a fixture in the women’s darts world since the 1980s, having played in both the World Masters and the Dutch Open amongst her numerous other career highlights.
Just before her trip to Denmark, Hedman posted a picture on her Facebook page which contained the message: “Women & Girls deserve to be CHAMPIONS in their own sports.”
She also took to X to declare that women’s sports need to be protected.
Last year the 64-year-old, who was born in Jamaica but moved to England in the 1960s, voiced her strong opposition to transgender inclusion in women’s darts tournaments.
“For many months I’ve struggled with transgenders playing in the women’s world ranked events,” she wrote on social media.
This is not the first time that players have quit due to Van Lueven competing against women.
In March, two women quit the Dutch National Womens’ Team, citing the unfairness of him being included.