Darts Noa-Lynn van Leuven
World Cup finalist boycotts darts match against trans woman
As of: 5:21 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
Her case is polarizing: trans woman Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Quelle: picture alliance/Action Plus/Godfrey Pitt
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Noa-Lynn van Leuven is used to criticism. The trans woman has been playing darts successfully for a year. The discussions about her have been increasing since then. At a tournament in Denmark there was a scandal involving the Dutchwoman.
Once again there is excitement about Noa-Lynn van Leuven. The successful darts player from the Netherlands has repeatedly made headlines in recent months as a trans woman. Now there was a scandal at the Denmark Open of the World Darts Federation (WDF).
Top player Deta Hedman, a World Cup finalist with the British Darts Organization (BDO) in 2012, 2014 and 2016, refused to play against the 27-year-old in the quarter-finals in Esbjerg. “This issue causes a lot of fear in the sport I love. People can be whoever they want in life, but I don’t think biologically born men should compete in women’s sports,” the 64-year-old Englishwoman explained her decision to X.
The discussion about people who were born with male sexual characteristics but want to take part in competitions as women after gender reassignment has accompanied and preoccupied sport for many years. However, the fact that the debate is now becoming increasingly controversial in darts is surprising due to the lack of gender-specific advantages.
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Van Leuven’s rise began a year ago
For van Leuven, the trouble only began with his successes at the Denmark Open last year. She won the tournament in the women’s competition and then also reached the finals at the WDF events in Wales, Belgium and Malta. In the end, she even achieved her second, third and fourth tournament victory at the Belgium Open and the two events in Malta. On the Women’s Tour of the Professional Darts Corporation, van Leuven also made it to the final twice and qualified for the Women’s World Matchplay.
Marching into the World Matchplay 2023 in Blackpool: Noa-Lynn van Leuven will also be there this year
Quelle: picture alliance/Action Plus/Godfrey Pitt
The big breakthrough came this spring. In March she won a tournament on the Challenger Tour, the second category of the PDC, in which predominantly, but not exclusively, men take part. A success that was shortly afterwards overshadowed by the resignation of two Dutch national players. One of them was Anca Zijlstra, who took a stand on Facebook: “The moment you are ashamed to represent the Dutch team because there is a biological man playing in the women’s team, it is time to leave.” Van Leuven then also won two more titles on the Women’s Tour.
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The trans woman from Heemskerk in North Holland now regularly plays averages of more than 100 points and is in tenth place in the Challenge Tour ranking with 2,650 pounds – ahead of well-known players such as Darius Labanauskas, Dragutin Horvat and Wesley Plaisier. The chances of qualifying for the PDC World Cup in December via the Women’s Tour are also good.
In Esbjerg, however, she was unable to capitalize on her uncontested entry into the semi-finals. In the round of the last four players she was eliminated 0-4 against the eventual winner Beau Greaves.