World No 1 Luke Humphries has backed transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven as she gets set to make history at the Grand Slam of Darts this weekend.
Van Leuven will become the first trans player to play in a televised PDC tournament against men when she kicks off her group phase against three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
The 28-year-old has also qualified for the World Championship at Alexandra Palace in December based on her performances in the PDC’s Women’s Series, which she is fully eligible to participate in under Darts Regulation Authority rules.
However, she has received hostility when she has played on the rival World Darts Federation tour, with Deta Hedman withdrawing from matches against her in protest at her inclusion.
Van Leuven has described some of her female opponents as “toxic b******” because of their behaviour towards her, but Humphries says she has done nothing wrong and is rooting for her.
“I don’t get too involved in the politics to be honest,” said Humphries, who begins his Grand Slam of Darts campaign against Rowby-John Rodriguez.
“It’s not up to me to say whether it is right or wrong. Whatever opinion I have, it wouldn’t matter. I just look at her as a dart player.
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Luke Humphries spoke ahead of the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts saying ‘anyone can win, which makes it so exciting’, and that it’s a great opportunity for him to retain a major title this year
“She is in the competition. She has not broken any rules. She is doing what she is allowed to do.
“I can’t say that she is doing anything wrong. I don’t really know, it’s a hard one, because there are so many different opinions that get thrown around.
“It would be nice if people let her get on with it and play. But, yeah, I wish her all the best. Hopefully she gets a win and it’s good for her.
“Of course I have sympathy for her because she is a human and no one likes being abused online. But she gets it a lot.
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Defending champion Humphries reacts to the Grand Slam of Darts draw as he was paired with James Wade in Group A
“Unfortunately, I think that the world can be a negative place, and people just want to abuse people and bring them down
“And that’s just the way it is. But every sport has its rules, and she qualifies in the rules. So as much as it might annoy people, she’s not doing anything that’s illegal, she’s not cheating. She’s doing what’s in the rules.
“If that changes, then things will change. But she’s not doing anything physically wrong, so no one can blame her, she’s well within the rights to do what she does at the moment.”
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Speaking on Love The Darts, Polly James and Glen Durrant discuss Beau Greaves’ comments saying that it would be ‘silly’ to think a female player could win the World Championship
PDC explains ‘fair’ trans policy ahead of Van Leuven’s historic debut
Van Leuven secured places at the Grand Slam of Darts and World Championship after ending the season second behind Beau Greaves in the PDC Women’s Order of Merit, having won four times and added three other runner-up finishes during an impressive campaign.
PDC chief executive Matt Porter has explained the policy on transgender darts players ahead of Van Leuven’s televised debut.
“We took legal advice and we took some ideas from policy that other sports bodies, the IOC and other governing bodies have put in place,” Porter exclusively told Sky Sports.
“Ultimately, we came up with a policy that we believe to be fair. We respect the fact that not everybody agrees with that and we accept that it’s not a unanimously accepted position.
“Noa-Lynn’s started to achieve more success in recent years, hence the opposition to her has become more vocal, which is the way of the world. Again, it’s something we respect but ultimately we have a policy in place and it’s one that we’re comfortable with.”
How can you watch Grand Slam of Darts?
The Grand Slam of Darts is live every day on Sky Sports from November 9-17 as Humphries looks to defend his title, with Greaves and Van Leuven also taking part.
Attention then turns to the turn of the year and the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, beginning on December 15, as the darts calendar continues to provide excitement throughout the year – and you can enjoy the very best here live on Sky Sports.
Watch the Grand Slam of Darts from November 9-17 before the World Championship next month. Get Sky Sports to watch every match live
