The opponents of van Gerwen, Chisnall and van der Voort received byes, van Barneveld was already eliminated. Three games have been canceled since Christmas. “I was in this position myself, so I feel for the players who were eliminated. There’s so much work to do before the World Cup, ”said Price. The former rugby pro was struck out of the Premier League earlier this year because he tested positive for the virus before it started.
Postponing the World Cup is probably not the best option, “but an option that I would be fine with”. The world association PDC has so far not announced anything in this direction. Price had previously regretted the failure of his rival van Gerwen. “I’d rather play against the best to be the best,” wrote the Welshman. “Now this tournament is worth less,” Price clarified.
World Cup so far without restrictions
Despite the rapidly expanding Omikron variant, the Darts World Cup has so far been carried out without restrictions. At Alexandra Palace in London, 3,000 visitors per day are permitted to continue to work at full capacity under 3-G approval (vaccinated, recovered and negative test persons). However, distance and masks often only play a minor role in an exuberant mood and excessive beer consumption.
The PDC is now in a self-inflicted dilemma. The show and staging-oriented association approached the World Cup with relatively generous rules and many quick tests instead of PCR tests. Now there have been two game cancellations since Christmas, which affects the value of the largest tournament. More could follow.
CoV in PDC communication only marginal aspect
The communication is monosyllabic and always follows the same pattern: player A has CoV, player B gets ahead. Not a word about further or additional protective measures. Instead, the other games are celebrated extra loud: a lot is “historical”, “epic” or “fantastic”. CoV, on the other hand, should remain a marginal aspect in the midst of weak crisis communication. Those responsible are not necessarily considered to be advocates of strict CoV measures.
PDC boss Barry Hearn wrote on December 18, referring to Omikron on the short message service Twitter: “And are we seriously thinking about shutting down the economy and causing endless misery for millions of people?” The 73-year-old realized it was time is to “live with the virus”. Meanwhile, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan had already declared a disaster almost two weeks ago and explained: “The increase in Omicron cases in our capital is very worrying.”
The PDC should try to push through the event until January 3rd with all its might and simply to endure further failures. Scotsman 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 kicked out of the World Cup because of that. Nobody wants that. “
Wright wore a mask, fans largely did not
Contact, handshakes and hugs between the players should be avoided – at least on the target. The extravagant Wright came on stage on Tuesday evening before his 4-2 win against Damon Heta not only in a colorful Christmas outfit with printed candles and balls, but also with a mouth and nose protection. The song “Don’t Stop The Party” by Pitbull rang out, and the largely unmasked fans jumped and sang. It was a fitting symbol.
