World Darts Federation is threatening disciplinary action against players who withdraw from matches after a British female dart player forfeited instead of competing against a man identifying as a woman.
World Darts Federation threatens discipline after female refuses to compete against male opponent
World Darts Federation is threatening disciplinary action against players who withdraw from matches after a British female dart player forfeited instead of competing against a man identifying as a woman. After Deta Hed man forfeited a competition after learning she would face a trans-identified opponent, the WDF issued a statement last Friday ahead of the World Championships this year to clarify its position on player withdrawals.”Once the first dart has been thrown in a tournament, any player that subsequently withdraws from playing a match may be considered to be bringing the game into disrepute and could face disciplinary action,” WDF stated.Get Our Latest News for FREESubscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.”This stance has been taken to suitably protect our Member Countries, their tournaments and tournament sponsors, as well as to preserve the integrity of the WDF ranking system.”Hedman, 64, told Telegraph Sport this week that she felt WDF’s statement was directed at her. The three-time WDF World Championship finalist withdrew from a quarter-final match against Noa-Lynn van Leuven in May. Van Leuven, a man who identifies as a woman, won two tournaments in March: The PDC Women’s Series in Wigan and a PDC Tour event in Hildesheim, Germany. The male athlete began playing in the women’s circuit after he started transitioning to identifying as female in 2022.Help keep The Christian Post free for everyoneTo show how much you appreciate The Christian Post, please make a donation that will enable us to share articles like the one you’ve just read with a wider audience. Make a one-time or recurring donation today.Support Now”It’s been affecting me for a very, very long time. And when it did happen, I just broke down. I was a mess, an absolute mess,” Hedman said about women having to compete against male dart players. It’s all about the mental health of transgender women.” “They have not once come to us ladies and asked how we are feeling about it,” she said. “We’re having to stand up to say, ‘This is how we feel.’”The British dart player has launched a petition against WDF’s policy of allowing men to compete against women, according to The Telegraph.Recommended Videos Powered by AnyClipCarlos and Alexa PenaVega on how sanctification plays a role in their career_Trimreport this adThe WDF did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.Lynne Pinches, a veteran pool player who has also advocated for fai