COLUMN: No neutral-flag players but transgender players at Lakeside, WDF causes friction
WDF
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.
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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.
Surely Anastasia can apply for British citizenship, she must have lived here 15 years at least. Various Russian racing drivers have switched nationality to dubious family associated countries. Ultimately I don't know much about transgender but it looked like a drag act on stage the other night. What is there to stop the ladies shaving their heads and masquerading as men. It is a grey area, I do not understand it though, does it mean they have had a full sex change or it seems just wear a wig and fake breasts
What is this article about? About transgenders or about the desire to see russians? Sport has always been part of politics, the author is a little bit hypocrite. If talented dartsmens do not support the killing of Ukrainians and the aggression of Ukraine, they can change their sports citizenship and play for other countries, rather than advertise the greatness of the aggressor. Need to decide - clothes on the body or body on the neck…
It’s not even remotely about ‘retaining physical traits’ for many women who disagree with trans players being allowed to play. It’s about fairness. Women have fought long and hard for any kind of recognition in the sport. We finally got given our own dedicated tournament in the Women’s World Matchplay in 2022, and managed one whole year of it before a biological man qualified for the televised finals in 2023. Women are absolutely fed up with our spaces being invaded and having to budge over for men who say they are women. Prize money is being stolen from women by bang average men in many sports - swimming, cycling, pool, and now darts. Funny how there are no female to male trans sports stars qualifying in any of the dedicated men’s tournaments….
I mean no one talks about the rapid muscle mass loss or change in bone density that trans women go through when they medically transition which puts them at a disadvantage to cis women. If you listened to the interviews with Victoria Monaghan she states very clearly how the medical transition forced her to throw very differently than before her transition. So really she is at a disadvantage to all other players as she has only been throwing in her new body for a few years (a body which is still changing no doubt.) Maybe if we were more accepting as a society to trans people then people can find out earlier in their lives, not grow into the wrong body and be able to fully participate in sports.
Darts is predominantly a game of skill and temperament. Physiological changes will impact performance but there is no fundamental reason why women should be inferior to men. If Monaghan wants to compete in competitions designed to promote non professional female participants then it's their limited ambition. It's beneficial to a have a womens competition whilst darts is seen as a male pursuit by the young people whose only exposure is watching at Christmas. I wonder what the feelings would have been if Adam Smith Neale would have entered an adaptive darts competition after he got drunk and broke his leg. Drinking was his life style choice after all, potentially born with a predisposition.
totally agree that russian players should be allowed to participate (unless you want to ban them for longer due to their state-sponsored doping program, which is a position i'm sympathetic toward in some sports but seems less relevant to darts). not sure why you've created this bizarre false equivalence with trans players though, nor why you think you can get away with saying they have unfair advantages due to masculine traits in DARTS without any further explanation. not exactly running the 100m are they? your laughable little appeals to 'science' do not cut it, my friend--do better.
Wonder what these masculine traits are that allegedly give them an edge... selfishly practicing and ignoring your family!
I think YOU need to talk to one or two of the top men players if YOU think they are selfish towards their families as a result of pursuing their "careers"!
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