After Vincent van der Voort and Michael van Gerwen, Dave Chisnall is the third player to be eliminated from the Darts World Cup because of a positive corona test. The criticism of the host is getting louder because of lax rules. World Champion Price brings an interruption into play.
When the corona pandemic spilled over to Europe in March 2020, it was already clear how the Profidart organization PDC will behave during the crisis. Tournaments would only be canceled or postponed if the government demands it, writes the PDC boss at the time, Barry Hearn on Twitter. Hearn commented on a fan tweet that the virus was “overrated” with a terse “correct”.
It is the time when the PDC holds tournaments in front of full halls until the last possible day. The lucrative Premier League will be pulled through in front of a beefy and party-mad crowd until the British government puts an end to the hustle and bustle. Then, as part of the “PDC Home Tour”, the darts circus first wanders into the players’ living rooms, kitchens or storage rooms. It will finally continue in summer 2020. Without fans, but still. With one exception, the 2020/2021 World Cup will also be played in front of empty stands in London’s Alexandra Palace on tournament day one. Finally, at the end of May 2021, fans will be able to attend the PDC events again.
Since “Freedom Day” in Great Britain on July 19th, everything has been almost completely normal. The PDC is allowed to sell all tickets for its events that use the halls to full capacity. The players are allowed to move freely on the sidelines of the tournaments, but must undergo corona tests. That works largely well throughout the year. Only a few players have to cancel corona-related tournaments, but at most it affects one player per event. No reason to worry. Until the 2021/2022 World Cup.
Three corona cases in three days
Before the start of the tournament, Juan Francisco Rodriguez makes the start. The Spaniard has to cancel his participation at short notice due to a corona infection. A message that only makes the rounds in specialist portals. The Spanish qualifier for the tournament is too insignificant. But when darts legend Raymond van Barneveld tested positive immediately after his second round against Rob Cross shortly before Christmas, the corona chaos took its course. Counterparty Cross is tested negative, but after the Christmas break on December 27, the corona test by “Barney’s” Dutch compatriot Vincent van der Voort also shows a positive test result. The 46-year-old will be removed from the tournament.
Van der Voort’s corona infection is also attracting large circles because he is the best friend and training partner of superstar Michael van Gerwen and the two of them spent Christmas Eve together. The great tremor begins. On December 28th, the bad news finally followed: “MvG” also tested positive and was therefore eliminated from the tournament without a fight. The next corona case followed a day later with Dave Chisnall. The Englishman is out too.
Weak crisis communication
The PDC is in a dilemma that it has itself caused. The show and staging-oriented association approached the World Cup with relatively generous rules and quick tests instead of PCR tests. Always with reference to adhere to all the rules of the British government. That is also true, the PDC did nothing wrong. And yet she should have taken further protective measures, as the corona chaos of these days shows.
Communication is currently monosyllabic and always following the same pattern: player A has Corona, player B gets ahead. Not a word about further or additional protective measures. Instead, the other games are celebrated extra loud: a lot is “historic” or “epic” or “fantastic”. Corona, on the other hand, should remain a marginal aspect in the midst of weak crisis communication. The PDC is in “eye-to-and-through” mode.
In the longstanding Primus van Gerwen, the unsatisfactory situation for many outsiders was given a face. Because in fact there has been harsh criticism of the overall situation in Alexandra Palace since the beginning of the title fights, which can be fully used despite the high corona numbers and the spread of the new Omikron variant. While the ghost games are back everywhere in Germany, there is a full house on the island – with 3G approval (vaccinated, recovered and negative tested), which according to “Welt” is not even properly controlled.
Self-tests instead of PCR
The contrast is stark. While between Christmas and New Year’s Eve one player after the other fails because of positive corona tests, things just continue in the “Ally-Pally-Halle”. The fans have to wear a mask outside of their own seat, but many in the beer-loving audience do not stick to it.
The following applies to the players: no clapping with fans or opponents. In the hall, the players should only stay as short as necessary. Otherwise, the rules are lax, according to the British Corona guidelines. The PDC did not create a so-called “bubble” for the actors. Instead, they can go in and out of the player hotel whenever they want. Regular corona tests are not necessary, they are only recommended. A certified test center does not even have to be accessed, self-tests are sufficient. Even if there was contact with an infected person.
Van Gerwen speaks of the “corona bomb”
Michael van Gerwen sharply criticized the PDC after his positive test. “The PDC will always say that they followed the rules of the government, but they could have done more. The controls weren’t strong enough. It’s just a big corona bomb now,” the world number three told the Dutch Portal “AD Sportwereld”.
And “MvG” draws attention to a serious security gap. In theory, unsupervised self-tests provide an opportunity to cheat by giving a negative test to someone other than your own. “I could have fooled everyone. But I want to be able to look myself in the mirror. Corona kills people, so I didn’t do that. That is my moral duty,” said van Gerwen. The PDC has not yet commented on the exact test procedure at the request of ntv.de.
Van Gerwen says he was “very careful” around the World Cup. In the run-up to the event, he had decided not to travel to the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. “I was invited, but that was too tricky for me shortly before the tournament”, “MvG” explained before the tournament started on “Checkout – The Darts Podcast.” In the player’s hotel, he and van der Voort also “avoided the breakfast room because we found it too crowded,” he said in the Dutch media. That coincides with the impressions ntv.de received from other players.
Just don’t exceed minimum standards
However, it is not surprising that those responsible for the PDC have not tightened the government’s corona rules. Leading minds in darts are not necessarily advocates of strict corona measures. World champion Gerwyn Price, for example, questioned the sense of masks in the summer of 2020 and refused to be vaccinated for a long time.
The former PDC boss Barry Hearn, who has meanwhile handed over the management of the company to his son Eddie, wrote on December 18 with reference to Omikron on Twitter: “And let’s think seriously about closing the economy and causing endless hardship for millions of people prepare?”. The 73-year-old stated that it was time to “live with the virus”. Meanwhile, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan had declared a disaster almost two weeks ago, as the increase in Omicron cases in London was “very worrying”.
It looks like this in the “Ally Pally”: Up to 3000 darts fans shout their songs loudly in a small hall, drink a lot of beer and organize a party that was normal and harmless before the corona pandemic. And the PDC is doing everything possible not to exceed the minimum standards set by the British government.
The plan seems to be as follows: Push through the event with all your might by January 3rd, just endure further failures and moderate it with a two-line. Former world champion Peter Wright said: “We should stay away from other people and stay inside. When I get a delivery of food, I wash my hands and do everything I can to avoid getting the virus. You don’t want to be out of the World Cup because of that. Nobody wants that. “
The reigning title holder and world number one Gerwyn Price has completely lost his appetite under these circumstances. Interrupting the World Cup is no longer a taboo for him, wrote the Welshman on Instagram: “It wouldn’t be the best option, but I wouldn’t contradict it.”