Overview
- The Darts Regulation Authority, which issued new eligibility rules Thursday, limited women’s tournaments to “biological women,” and the PDC put them into effect immediately.
- Dutch player Noa-Lynn van Leuven is now barred from the Women’s Series but can still enter open PDC events such as the World Championship, and she said the decision had “ended” her career.
- The DRA said it relied in part on a report by developmental biologist Dr. Emma Hilton that argues small sex-based differences add up to a male advantage in darts.
- Officials said they will review participation rules at least once a year but did not specify any verification or testing methods, including whether new SRY gene screening used by the IOC would apply.
- Van Leuven, 29, completed her transition in 2022, has six Women’s Series titles, and her exclusion follows past player resistance, including withdrawals and refusals to compete against her.