COLUMN: No neutral-flag players but transgender players at Lakeside, WDF causes friction

In an era where inclusivity is paramount, the World Darts Federation (WDF) achieved a milestone last weekend with the participation of the first transgender player at the Women's World Championship.

However, Victoria Monaghan's participation caused much disapproval and surprised reactions on social media and among fellow darts players. Transgender players participating in tournaments on the WDF Tour is causing anger among a growing number of leading women, multiple sources told Dartsnieuws.com.

Transgender players are starting to gain a foothold in the sport of darts. Noa-Lynn van Leuven, for instance, made her appearance at the Women's World Matchplay earlier this year. And as earlier mentioned, Monaghan made her debut at Lakeside last weekend.

According to other players, the ladies' mental health is affected by transgender participation. According to science, there is quite a bit to be said for that. Trans women who have transitioned retain some 'masculine traits', which can give them an improper edge.

Recent research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that lowering testosterone in female transgender athletes removes some, but not all, of this advantage. Some of this improper advantage is retained after testosterone lowering. This goes against the principles of fair competition and equal opportunity for sports success.

Some ladies are now considering not entering WDF tournaments as long as transwomen are eligible to play on the WDF Tour. One top international player is said to have already made the decision on this. She lost to Noa-Lynn van Leuven at a WDF tournament earlier this year. The WDF has reportedly been asked several times to stop allowing transgender players on the women's circuit, but the federation reportedly does not want to comply.

But where transgender players are not given a straw, Russian darts players have not been welcome at the WDF for almost two years. It is, of course, utterly ridiculous that innocent athletes who have absolutely nothing to do with the war in Ukraine should bear the brunt of a Russian dictator who oppresses his people and wants to steal territory from other nations.

The WDF very cowardly decided in early 2022 to adopt the judgement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with the result that Russian and Belarusian darters were no longer welcome on the circuit. Anastasia Dobromyslova, Elena Shulgina, Aleksey Kadochnikov and Roman Obukhov, who had qualified for Lakeside in 2022, were chucked out of the field of competitors. And that while the following text can be found on the WDF's website. ''The WDF is a non-political, non-racial and non-profit making organization.''

This did not only apply to darts, players from Russia and Belarus were also banned in other sports. Luckily in most sports these athletes were soon allowed to compete again under a neutral flag. Incidentally, that was also the situation after the Russian national sports federation was suspended by the IOC because of the country's long-standing and state-controlled doping culture.

In the PDC, a player like Anastasia Dobromyslova (but also Boris Koltsov in the past) are allowed to compete under a neutral flag. Dobromyslova, a 3-time women's world champion, played on the PDC Women's Series in 2023 and showed glimpses of her old form again with two finals in the autumn.

On the WDF Tour, however, Dobromyslova is not welcome. The same goes for the talented new generation of darts players from Russia. Not as a Russian, and not as a neutral athlete. When will they be allowed back onto the circuit? Their potential careers are being destroyed in this way. National sports organisations have to pay money to become members of the WDF. However, a neutral flag cannot pay. Maybe the WDF is not as inclusive as what they want people to believe.