Corona already has four players: 3000 screaming fans without masks: Ally Pally shows the madness of the Darts World Cup
Corona does not stop at sporting events either. The Darts World Cup in London clearly shows that: The fourth player has now tested positive, and anyone who has the virus is thrown out. At the same time, the fans cheer without masks. The association remains inactive.
In London’s “Ally Pally” the disaster announced by the mayor looks like this: 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.
At the World Cup, the world association PDC is making every effort not to exceed the minimum standards of the already lax British government in times of the Omikron variant. And with the positive test by star Michael van Gerwen, the organizers are now threatened with great chaos at player level.
“Now this tournament is worth less,” said world champion and main competitor Gerwyn Price from Wales after the elimination of the three-time world champion from the Netherlands, who tested positive immediately before his third-round match scheduled for Tuesday evening and was then withdrawn from the tournament.
In the afternoon Price added: “The tournament should be postponed.” While this is probably not the best option, “it is an option that I would agree with”. So far, the PDC has not announced anything in this direction. The world number one also announced that he might even give up the World Cup.
Darts World Cup: One favorite after the other falls victim to Corona
Van Gerwen said he was “really disappointed, confused, angry with how my World Cup ends. I never expected this result.” His two compatriots Vincent van der Voort and Raymond van Barneveld had only tested positive the previous day. So the finding did not come out of nowhere.
The World Cup tournament is currently acting like a big lottery. On Wednesday it caught the Englishman Dave Chisnall, who was in the semifinals last year. Like van Gerwen, he is eliminated without a fight, instead England’s Luke Humphires receives a bye for the round of 16.
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.
Communication is monosyllabic and always follows 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. It gets more and more bizarre.
Darts World Cup: Celebrate and drink without a distance – the parallel world in Ally Pally
The unsatisfactory situation for many outsiders now has a face in the longstanding Primus van Gerwen. 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 utilized 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 is not even particularly strictly controlled.
The contrast is stark. While in the short time frame between Christmas and New Year’s Eve one player after the other fails due to positive corona tests, things just continue in the stands. Those responsible are not necessarily considered to be advocates of strict corona measures.
PDC boss Barry Hearn wrote on December 18 with reference to Omikron via Twitter: “And are we seriously considering shutting down the economy and causing endless hardship for millions of people?” The 73-year-old states that it is time to “live with the virus”.
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Meanwhile, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan had already declared a disaster almost two weeks ago and explained: “The rise in the number of 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. The Scot 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 want that.”
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.
Niklas Süle’s time at Bayern seems to be coming to an end. His contract expires in the summer. There will probably not be an extension, the national player’s ten million annual salary is not enough. That would mean he would be available for a free transfer in the summer.
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fd / with dpa
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