Noa-Lynn van Leuven has been banned from competing in female events such as the PDC Women’s Series after the DRA changed their policy regarding transgender players
Noa-Lynn van Leuven has appeared to announce her retirement from the women’s game after the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) implemented a ban affecting transgender players. Van Leuven, 29, began competing in women’s events in 2022, six years after beginning her transition from a male.
In 2024, the Dutch star made history by becoming the first openly transgender woman to compete in the PDC World Championship. Van Leuven has also won six PDC Women’s Series titles.
But the DRA have confirmed that as of April 2026, only biological women will be permitted to enter DRA-regulated women’s tournaments. In an emotional video posted on Instagram, Van Leuven revealed that she learned of the decision by email and has been ‘retired’ as a result.
“I just got an email, apparently I just got retired,” she said. “Not by choice but because I am no longer allowed to compete. The DRA just decided that trans women are no longer allowed in women’s events which basically means I’m out.
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“I’ve worked so damn hard for years just to get here. I showed up, I competed, I respected the sport every game, every single day. And now, with just one decision, I am being told I don’t belong anymore.”
Van Leuven went on to reference the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to limit the women’s category of Olympic sports to biological females from 2028. “This isn’t just about me, this is another huge hit for the trans community, especially after decisions made by the IOC,” she continued.
“Every day it’s getting harder and harder for trans people to exist, to compete. If you think it stops with me, it doesn’t. I just want to be.”
The 29-year-old also wrote as the caption: “On the inside I’m crying. The fluoxetine just hides it. Not my choice. Not just my story. This isn’t the end. I’m just going back to the drawing board. I’m not done fighting.”
Van Leuven will, however, be eligible to compete in open events such as the World Championship. The DRA began a review into their eligibility policy last year.
Their amendment is based on a report by developmental biologist Emma Hilton, legal advice and recent court rulings. Hilton’s report concluded that small physical differences between biological women and men give the latter an advantage in darts.
Two Dutch players – Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra – quit their national women’s team in 2024 because they didn’t want to be on the same team as Van Leuven. “The moment you’re embarrassed to be a part of the Dutch Team, because a biological man is playing in the women’s team, it’s time to go,” Zijlstra wrote in a post on Facebook.
