"I am fighting for those girls out there that won't get that opportunity" - Deta Hedman sets record straight after refusing to play Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Deta Hedman made worldwide headlines recently when, at the WDF Denmark Open the legendary figure in ladies' darts refused to play against transgender Noa-Lynn van Leuven.

Despite there being some rumours Hedman withdrew due to illness in order to keep her ranking points, the 64-year-old set the record straight in an interview with GB News. "No. I didn't pull out because of ill health,' she begins. "For the last few years I've struggled with the situation of playing a transgender and on more than one occasion I've been wanting to pull out, but people have spoken to me and told me not to do it. But in the end it got me and was affecting me physically and mentally."

Having thoughts about more than just the future of her own individual game, Hedman's senior role within the WDF also led to her taking a stand. "All the ladies that do participate in the women's game had been complaining that they don't enjoy the experience. They'd been asking me to take it to the board and see if I could get change," she explains. "So many girls came to me and I just sat there, put my headphones in and was absolutely crying my eyes out."

"I went to have a conversation with our tournament director, a private conversation away from everyone. I explained to him and I just said 'I can't do it'. I just dissolved into pieces," Hedman recalls. "For me, I am also fighting for those girls out there that won't get that opportunity. Because if we leave it and bury our heads in the sand, there won't be anything for young women and young girls to aspire to. That's something I feel very strongly about."

Hedman also proposes the idea that alongside men's and women's events, trans athletes have their own tournaments. "I could see having an open for trans, non-binary or whoever wants to play," she concludes.