Female darts star who FORFEITED over refusing to play against a transgender player in women’s tournament speaks out – and explains why biological men have an advantage in her sport

British female darts player Deta Hedman has shed new light on her decision to forfeit a tournament after refusing to face a transgender player – after making ‘totally untrue’ claims about her reason for withdrawing.

The 64-year-old, who has been an outspoken critic of rules allowing transgender women to compete in women’s tournaments, withdrew from a quarter-final appearance at the Danish Open.

Hedman was due to face Noa-Lynn van Leuven, but decided to boycott the match, bluntly telling German newspaper Bild: “I am not playing against a man in a women’s event.”

Claims were later made by darts presenter and journalist Phill Barrs on social media platform

Hedman immediately replied to him saying, “No fake illness, I said I wouldn’t play a man in a women’s event. Don’t listen to @phillbarrs, he knows dear fa, and neither does his trusted source.’

Now the veteran player – one of the most well-known figures in the women’s darts scene – has tried to clarify the situation with a lengthy message on Facebook.

She wrote: ‘This is not about the good or bad of my decision at the Denmark Open yesterday, but I want to set the record straight.

‘I went to the control to talk to Carsten Jappesen, the tournament director, and asked for a private conversation. We went to an area backstage and even my other half Paul didn’t witness what was said. There were certainly no other officials within earshot and there were certainly no other players present.

‘I understand that Phill Barrs has posted messages on X etc which are completely untrue. A friend contacted him and he claims he was told by a reliable source. I know his source and that is why I say that only Carsten and I were present at that meeting. I didn’t falsely claim I was sick so I could protect my ranking points.

‘This ‘journalist’ quoted something similar about Anca Zijlstra, which led to Anca being abused and threatened online – again he said a reliable source had informed him!

“Maybe Phil, you should look at both sides of a story before posting absolute c**p that is not only inaccurate, but has now falsely accused two ladies causing grief twice.”

Mail Sport has contacted Phill Barrs for comment.

Hedman later reiterated the advantage men have over women in darts after a fan wondered what the main difference was.

‘Have you ever suffered from menstruation, peri-menopause, menopause, fibroids, endometriosis etc.? Your response makes me highly doubt that.”

Hedman had later written for Save Women’s Sport – an international campaign calling for ‘fairness in women’s sport’ and stating that ‘biological sex matters’.

She said to the group: “This topic 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 participate in women’s sports.’

Many of Hedman’s supporters offered to pay her for any money she lost as a result of her withdrawal – including American former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines – but she was paid in full for the event.

Veteran pool player Lynne Pinches, who similarly forfeited her winning spot at the Ladies Champions of Champions after refusing to play her transgender opponent, praised Hedman’s decision.

“Full respect for her stand for fairness,” Pinches wrote on X. “It’s not an easy decision and nor should it be. Please stop the madness.”

Van Leuven, who became a woman in 2014, won two tournaments in March the PDC Women’s Series in Wigan and a PDC Tour event in Hildesheim, Germany a week earlier.

She stood opposite Ireland’s Katie Sheldon in the final, triumphed 5-2 to claim £2,000 in prize money.

Since Van Leuven joined the Dutch national team, two of her compatriots have left in protest after her second victory earlier this year.

Anca Zijlstra revealed that she said goodbye ‘with pain in my heart’ – before world number two Aileen de Graaf quit hours later, vowing to no longer represent the Netherlands.

Van Leuven, who became a woman in 2014, won two tournaments in March the PDC Women’s Series in Wigan and a PDC Tour event in Hildesheim, Germany a week earlier.

She stood opposite Ireland’s Katie Sheldon in the final, triumphed 5-2 to claim £2,000 in prize money.

Since Van Leuven joined the Dutch national team, two of her compatriots have left in protest after her second victory earlier this year.

Anca Zijlstra revealed she was saying goodbye ‘with pain in my heart’ – before world number 2 Aileen de Graaf quit hours later, vowing to no longer represent the Netherlands.

Outraged by the victory, 18-time Grand Slam tennis champion Martina Navratilova said: “No male bodies in women’s sports please – not even in darts.”

‘Once again: women get the short end of the stick. And it stinks,” she continued on X.

In December, Hedman called for transgender players, including Van Leuven and Victoria Monaghan, to be banned from ranked women’s tournaments in a lengthy Facebook statement.

She said: ‘For months I struggled with transgender people competing in women’s world rankings events.”

She then emphasized how far women’s darts has come, after Hedman and others ‘fought for better recognition of women’s darts’ in the late 1980s.

Hedman said she “packed up” in 1997 because 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 that trans women could participate in women’s sport through the WDF, PDC, county darts and independent events.

‘I have known from day one that this is wrong, I have no problems with transgender people in life, I am not close to Noa-Lynn in terms of darts, but honestly he seems like a nice person.

‘At Lakeside I met Victoria Monaghan and she’s right. We chatted and laughed a lot, but my personal opinion is that transgender should not be allowed to play in women’s ranked events.”