'I'm not playing a man in a women's event': British female darts star FORFEITS a tournament as she refuses to face a transgender player - and calls for a ban after she won two women's titles

Darts star Deta Hedman has pulled out of the Denmark Open after refusing to face transgender competitor Noa-Lynn van Leuven.

The 64-year-old has been a vocal critic of rules allowing transgender women to compete in women's tournaments.

Hedman, is one of the most well known figures in the women's darts scene, and in the past has called on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and the World Darts Federation (WDF) to exclude transgender athletes from women's tournaments. 

At the WDF tournament in Denmark, Hedman was due to face Van Leuven in the quarter-finals, but instead decided to boycott the game.

As per German outlet BILD, Hedman said: 'I'm not playing against a man in a women's event.'

Van Leuven has been a woman since 2014 and won two tournaments back in March, the PDC Women's Series in Wigan and a PDC Tour event in Hildesheim, Germany a week prior. 

Facing off against Ireland's Katie Sheldon in the final van Leuven triumphed 5-2 to claim £2,000 in prize money.

Two of Van Leuven's Dutch compatriots have left their national team in protest following her second competition triumph in March.

Anca Zijlstra revealed she was stepping away 'with pain in my heart' - before world number two Aileen de Graaf quit hours later in vowing to no longer represent the Netherlands.

Outraged by the win, 18-time Grand Slam tennis champion Martina Navratilova said: 'No male bodies in women's sports please - not even in darts.'

Posting on social media platform X, Martina added: 'Again - women get the short end of the stick. And it stinks.'

Hedman was involved at the PDC Women's Series in Wigan and hinted that the storm surrounding the inclusion of transgender players could lead to her quitting the sport.

She tweeted: 'Not the best weekend at @Official PDC missed 2 darts in event 8 to get into semis. Always said I would stop playing when the enjoyment has gone from playing, think the present issues with the ladies game that time is getting closer.'

Meanwhile, back in December, Hedman called on transgender players including Van Leuven and Victoria Monaghan to be banned from ranked women's tournaments in a lengthy Facebook statement.  

She said: 'For many months I've struggled with transgenders playing in the women's world ranked events.'

She then went on to highlight how far women's darts has come, after Hedman and others 'fought to get better recognition for women's darts' back in the late 1980s.

Hedman said she 'packed up' in 1997 as she felt there was 'little future for the ladies' before returning when a women's championship was formed.

She then adds: 'Then came the acceptance of trans women being allowed to play in women's sports by the WDF, PDC, county darts and independent events.

'I have though this is wrong since day one, I have no problems with transgenders in life, I'm not close to Noa-Lynn in darts but in fairness seems a lovely person.

'At Lakeside I met Victoria Monaghan and she is right character we had banter and a fair few laughs, but my personal view is trans shouldn't playing in women's ranked events.'

Hedman said she raised her concerns with the WDF, but that the governing body was 'worried of legal challenges' and that 'they needed scientific proof a trans player has an advantage over biological women.'

She also claimed to have contacted Dr Linda Duffy - a former world number one in women's darts - and mentioned her articles 'showing exactly why trans players have advantages over biological women, especially when they have gone through puberty as a male.'

Hedman added: 'In my opinion those (mainly men) who say no reasons why women can’t play as well as men are talking out of their rear end.'