Luke Humphries says ‘she’s not doing anything illegal’ as he makes feeling clear on facing Noa-Lynn van Leuven

LUKE HUMPHRIES told Noa-Lynn van Leuven’s detractors that she has earned her right to throw at the Grand Slam of Darts, saying: She hasn’t done anything illegal.

But Cool Hand Luke reckons the sport’s first transgender woman should stay off social media as she is thrust into the TV spotlight and in front of boozy crowds.

Van Leuven, 28, tackles Michael van Gerwen on Saturday night in their opening Group G match of the TV major at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton.

A spot in this event – and at next month’s Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championship – was secured by qualification via the Women’s Series.

Not everybody is happy with her progression and there have been calls for Van Leuven – who transitioned in 2021 – to be banned from women’s-only events, particularly on the WDF circuit.

PDC CEO Matt Porter backed her inclusion in the televised major, saying: “Ultimately, we came up with a policy that we believe to be fair.”

Humphries, the reigning world champion, said: “Of course I have sympathy for her because she’s a human and no-one likes being abused online.

“She gets it a lot. But unfortunately, we all do. I get it as well for no reason sometimes. It’s the way life is nowadays.

“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.

“The only thing I can suggest is to stay off social media, because it’s not a nice place at all.

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“Every sport has their 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.

“It’s a hard one, because there are so many different opinions that get thrown around.

“It’d 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.”

Rules established by the Darts Regulation Authority say the sport is “open to all who wish to be involved in any capacity and we encourage all trans and non-binary participants to take part”.

Levels of testosterone, however, need to be below 10 nmol/L for someone born male who wishes to compete in the women’s category as a trans player.

Humphries, 29, is the Grand Slam defending champion, having thumped Rob Cross 16-8 in the 2023 final.

His opening appearance in Group A is a clash against Austrian Rowby-John Rodriguez and over the next nine days, he is keen to remind everyone that he is the world’s best player.

'I LOVE THIS PART'

He said: “This is the best time of the year for me. I love this part.

“You have the Grand Slam, the Players and the Worlds. All the media hype that comes with it.

“It has been 10, nearly 11 months since I was world champion. It’s quite incredible how fast it goes.

“It has been a great ride regardless of what happens over the next couple of months, I have enjoyed myself.”

Humphries was speaking in Tamworth where he launched ‘Darts on Your Doorstep’, a new initiative in association with Smart Energy GB to bring high level darts equipment to lower income areas.