World Series of Darts to debut in Bahrain

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), together with sports promoter CBX, has teamed up with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) to bring the World Series of Darts to Bahrain for the first time ever.

On January 12 and 13, 2023, BIC will host the Bahrain Darts Masters, part of the global tour of the world’s best darts players. Bahrain will play host to the first event of the 2023 World Series, as part of a global calendar which was announced today by the PDC.

BIC and CBX have signed a multi-year deal with the PDC, which will bring the World Series of Darts to Bahrain on an annual basis. PDC darts events are broadcast in over 185 countries, reaching a global audience of over 200 million people and darts is the second most watched sport in the UK after football.

The sport is best known for the hosting of the World Darts Championship, which attracts a crowd of over 90,000 people to Alexandra Palace in the UK every year across the Christmas and New Year period.

The 2023 Bahrain Darts Masters will comprise two days of competition, with eight top players— set to include reigning World Champion Peter Wright and world number one Gerwyn Price—taking on eight regional representatives, including Bahrain’s best players, across two days.

The event will be played out to a live audience in a specially designed format at BIC’s entertainment dome and will also be broadcast live to a global audience. Tickets for this limited capacity event will go on sale later in the year and fans are encouraged to register now at bahraingp.com for all the latest information on tickets and the event.

BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa said: “With our partners at CBX, we can’t wait to welcome the best darts players in the world to the inaugural Bahrain Darts Masters early next year.

“The sport is a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed and the atmosphere at PDC events is something that we expect will be a unique experience for fans in Bahrain. “I welcome the PDC as a new member of the BIC family, and with our friends at CBX we look forward to putting on a stellar event for fans around the world.”

Carlo Boutagy, Founder and CEO of CBX, said: “We are proud to partner with BIC and the PDC to bring the World Series of Darts to Bahrain for the first time. While we at CBX are best known for motorsport, we work in a variety of sporting disciplines and it is fantastic to now venture into the world of darts.

As a sport, it has a huge global following and we are excited to welcome fans to the Kingdom as part of our ever-growing sporting portfolio, and add to the expanding list of new sports being showcased in the region.

We are looking forward to working together to put on an unforgettable event.” Professional Darts Corporation chief executive Matt Porter said: “Our global growth through the World Series of Darts in the past decade has been incredible and it’s another big step for us to stage the Bahrain Darts Masters in January.

We’re delighted to be working with Bahrain International Circuit and CBX on this exciting event, which will showcase PDC darts to a new audience and also be an opportunity for players from the region to test themselves against the world’s best. This is an exciting new event and will be a great way to begin our 2023 World Series of Darts.”

The Professional Darts Corporation operates a global £ 15 million circuit of events, which includes the World Darts Championship, four-month Premier League tour and World Series of Darts, which will also visit Denmark, America, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands in 2023.

Star players have become household names through their playing achievements and entertaining styles, from Peter “Snakebite” Wright’s colourful Mohawks and unique outfits to the flamboyant Gerwyn “The Iceman” Price and generational talent of “Mighty” Michael van Gerwen.

Winners on the 2022 World Series of Darts circuit included Michael Smith, Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh and Wales’ Jonny Clayton, as well as Van Gerwen and Price, who also won the season-ending World Series of Darts Finals.

For more information on the Bahrain Darts Masters Championship or other BIC events and activities, visit bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on +973- 17450000.