The World Darts Championship has been held at Alexandra Palace in north London since 2008, but PDC president Barry Hearn has suggested it could move to Saudi Arabia one day
Moving the World Championship to Saudi Arabia could split the darts in two, according to Wayne Mardle.
Barry Hearn, the PDC president, has admitted he would contemplate relocating the sports’ flagship event from Alexandra Palace to the Middle Eastern nation, which is investing heavily in hosting major events. The World Snooker Championship, another tournament under the control of Hearn’s Matchroom operation, could be relocated from Sheffield to Saudi Arabia by the end of this decade.
Mardle, a former World semi-finalist, is strongly against the idea of the tournament leaving the iconic north London venue and doubts the feasibility of holding the event in a country like Saudi Arabia, despite the potential financial benefits for the players. The Sky Sports darts expert fears that such a move could harm the sport in the same way that golf has been affected following the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
“I don’t like it. And I’m not talking as someone who used to play in the past. I’m not that way, I embrace today’s darts. I appreciate what they’re doing and everything around the sport,” he said.
“The reason I don’t like it is because I’m a massive golf fan and I’ve seen the divide that’s happened with LIV Golf and the PGA and the DP World Tour and it’s not a happy place. I would hate for something that I think would be temporary to make a permanent change to the sport.
“Darts is UK-based which is why the biggest best events are predominantly in the UK, because that’s where the fanbase is. Take it to Saudi, give them all a million pound each for turning up, but what if there’s no one watching it? Suddenly it becomes a sham.
“Yes, it’s all about money, I get it. I get Barry Hearn, I get the PDC. Matt Porter [PDC chief executive], in my opinion, is one of the one of the best CEOs in sport. The PDC get things right.
“But I would hate the World Championship to move to a bigger, more luxurious arena than Alexandra Palace. Ally Pally has got history, it works for darts. Yes, the money would be great for everyone involved but I think it would be a temporary thing that could ruin the game permanently. I’d hate to see that.”
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Hearn has said the Saudis are “very keen” to host darts but admitted restrictions on alcohol in the conservative country would be an initial stumbling block.
“They’re not ready yet [to host the World Championship], but they won’t be far along,” said Hearn. “They won’t allow alcohol and the essence of darts is it’s party time, isn’t it? It’s fun as well as great sport.”
But Porter has allayed fears the sport’s biggest tournament could head to the Middle East in the near future. He told Online Darts: “We put on our best event at Alexandra Palace. We’re not known for making silly decisions.
“It would be a strange move to go straight from Alexandra Palace to a country that has never hosted a darts tournament before. So it’s not something that is necessarily in the immediate future. Who knows what the long-term future will bring?”