Two players excluded: Corona chaos threatens the Darts World Cup

Monday, December 21, 2020

Two players excluded
Corona chaos threatens the Darts World Cup

From Kevin Schulte

The Darts World Cup 2021 amid the corona pandemic has not been under a good star since the tournament began. The spectators are only excluded after day one, now the first player is tested positive. The actors have to spend Christmas in the player's hotel.

Top star Michael van Gerwen had imagined it to be so beautiful. At the press conference after his opening victory at the Darts World Cup over Ryan Murray, the world number one had announced that he would be traveling to his home in the Netherlands for Christmas. To spend time with his family and to distract oneself from the stress of the tournament with "Call of Duty".

But nothing comes of it. Because the European Union is isolating itself from Great Britain because of the new coronavirus variant that is rampant on the island, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has called on all players to stay in London. According to the Dutch media, Michael van Gerwen had even already traveled home by car, but then returned to London at short notice because of the news. "I'm going to spend Christmas in London. It's hard to leave the family, but you can understand my decision. The tournament is just very important," said van Gerwen on Twitter.

So far the PDC has only shed some light with a short tweet. Tournament Director Matthew Porter wrote that the PDC has asked all non-UK players to stay at the hotel over the holidays. However, this is only a recommendation, not a rule. If you leave the hotel and want to come back to the so-called "bubble" later, you can do so "at your own risk". "I don't think many will do that," Porter said when asked.

Before the start of the tournament, the professional darts organization had explicitly given the players the option of leaving the venue over the Christmas holidays. This affects all players who survive the first two rounds, as the third round only continues after Christmas. Those who play again on December 27 or 28 must be back by December 26 at the latest and undergo a corona test, the PDC informed the professionals in advance.

First corona case

However, under the new circumstances, it has become extremely unlikely that a non-British actor will now leave the "bubble" in London for a Christmas visit home. Michael van Gerwen, for example, would have simply jeopardized his further participation in the tournament. But just because the players stay in the player's hotel over Christmas doesn't mean all problems are over.

What happens to an overseas player after they have left? The Austrian Mensur Suljovic should ask himself this question. The world number 20. joins the tournament on December 23rd against Matthew Edgar. At that time, a landing ban for all flights from Great Britain has long been in force in Austria. The ordinance applies up to and including January 1st. If Suljovic leaves beforehand, he would have to stay in London for days under the current rules.

Darius Labanauskas from Lithuania is not yet worried about that. "The focus is solely on my next game. I'm not thinking about the return trip yet," said last year's quarter-finalist before his second-round game against Simon Whitlock to ntv.de. His Latvian teammate Madars Razma wrote before his second appearance against ex-double world champion Gary Anderson on Twitter: "All direct flights between England and Latvia are canceled until January. Sorry, Gary, I have to win on Wednesday."

Before the news situation determined the World Cup tournament more and more over the course of yesterday, the sixth day of the World Cup had already started with bad news: The Dutchman Martijn Kleermaker tested positive for Corona. "What started as a dream ends in a nightmare. It hurts like hell to miss the World Cup, but health comes first. So far I have no symptoms," said the real World Cup debutant on social media. His opponent Cameron Carolissen from South Africa moved into the next round without a fight because Josh Payne, the first to replace him, had to go into quarantine. "Although Payne has tested negative for Covid-19, he is in self-isolation because he had contact with someone who tested positive in the last 24 hours," the PDC referred to the relevant rules of the British government.

First German duel in World Cup history

From a sporting point of view, the sixth day of the World Cup had only a few highlights to offer. The Russian qualifier Dmitri Gorbunov knew how to convince at least in the walk-on, but then lost 3-1 to Jason Lowe. Vincent van der Voort moved into the third round in a purely Dutch duel against Ron Meulenkamp. Otherwise it was a day to forget from a Dutch point of view. The World Cup debutants Derk Telnekes and Maik Kuivenhoven each drew the short straw, and Jeffrey de Zwaan, who was in 23rd position, also suffered a 3-0 defeat against the strong Englishman Ryan Searle.

Today, Monday evening, Gerwyn Price, the third top favorite alongside Michael van Gerwen and defending champion Peter Wright, joins the tournament. The "Iceman" is the clear favorite against his Welsh compatriot Jamie Lewis. Afterwards, the first German duel in the history of the Darts World Cup is about making it into round three. Gabriel Clemens, number 31 in the world, plays against qualifier Nico Kurz. At least one of them will have to celebrate Christmas in London.

In the podcast "Check out"Every morning you can listen to the most exciting stories from the Darts World Cup. You can also find the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.