"Again women get the short end of the stick": Martina Navratilova hits out as trans darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven enjoys title success
OtherMonday, 25 March 2024 at 20:27
Martina Navratilova has long campaigned against transgender athletes being included in sports of their new gender and a story was highlighted over the weekend that the tennis legend hit out at of the darts player, Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
Van Leuven has enjoyed recent success winning on the Challenge Tour which includes both men and women as an open event as she defeated males en route to a title in Hildesheim last weekend. But she then played the PDC Women's Series in Wigan and defeated top players like Fallon Sherrock, Beau Greaves and Katie Sheldon en route to the title producing one of the best averages of the weekend in the process of 101.
Widespread criticism followed with the PDC deciding to mute any replies on their official account as people took to quote tweets to share their displeasure. Aileen de Graaf and Anca Zijlstra, two prominent Dutch female players decided to quit their national team after Van Leuven was included over the weekend for upcoming fixtures as both had said they had essentially held their tongue long enough and tried to live with it.
"No males bodies in women’s sports please, not even in darts," wrote Navratilova. "Again, women get the short end of the stick either way. And it stinks," she wrote in a further tweet." In the past, Navratilova in particular has shunned swimming and athletics in particular for allowing this with darts the latest iteration of sport to do so. While the debate rumbles on, Navratilova has added her two cents about the topic which was a prominent news story going into the new week.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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