As the FAZ reports, the professional darts association PDC opens its Team World Championship simultaneously with the FIFA World Cup. The venue is Frankfurt, where the ice rink in the Bornheim district is buzzing with World Cup atmosphere. On giant screens, spectators follow the darts players as they throw their arrows at the board on stage. Since the target is small, the action is only visible via the screens.
Dave Allen, responsible for international development at the PDC, admits: “Of course it’s not perfect that our World Cup clashes with the football World Cup. But we’re coping with it and facing the competition.” His words reflect the growing confidence of the organizers. The Team World Championship is being held in Frankfurt for the ninth time. The competition is the only one on the calendar where pros don’t play alone but in teams and in national jerseys.
The format appeals to the players. Dimitri Van den Bergh, who forms the Belgian duo with Mike De Decker, says: “It’s something special. Usually we always play for ourselves, you have to get used to acting as a team.” The Belgians were eliminated in the round of 16 by Northern Ireland. Van den Bergh emphasizes that the special thing is meeting players from nations like Trinidad and Tobago, whom you don’t usually see on the tour. However, he says Frankfurt is still far from being a magical darts venue like Ally Pally.
The PDC is nevertheless sticking with the location. “Regardless of the exact contract duration, we have no intention of leaving Frankfurt. It suits us very well and also fits our sustainable growth,” says Allen. The new world champion was only determined after the editorial deadline on Sunday evening.
Source: www.faz.net
