World darts Championship

You may have noticed (especially if you watch Sky Sports), around Christmas and new year is pretty much darts on TV. This is due to the fact that two world championships are played. This is very unusual in any sport (other than boxing), but how could it come about?

Darts is a game that was popular among the working class and was often played in pubs. In 1973 the British darts organization was formed (BDO) and led, is held in 1978 to the first World Championship. Darts began to enjoy a golden age as shown tournaments on the BBC and ITV and players such as Eric Bristow, John Lowe and Jocky Wilson budget name.

However shown a fateful day in 1980 a BBC Comedy program called ' not the nine o'clock news' (with Mel Smith and Gryth Rhys Jones) a sketch darts players, mocking how famous shot down pints at the Oche. Although not diminish the popularity of the game at this point, the damage was to the image of the game Act immense. Followed by a slow decline and had stopped 1988 ITV, darts total show and the World Cup was the only event, the links in the television.

The initial boom in DART had disenchanted an influx of players eager their trade led ply, who they felt the game could be more to promote but with the television coverage that disappear as links sponsors are sport, these players with the prize money with the BDO. Even the move to ban players drinking alcohol on the stage of 1989 did little to the public image improve darts and darts players. 1992 A group of sixteen players founded the world darts Council (WDC). The group included every active previous world champion Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow and John Lowe. Leighton Rees, who had already withdrawn was not to join the only previous world champion. The first event of the WDC staged in the same year was UK master the LADA.

1993 World Championship than normal took WDC players during the sporting their new WDC badge on your sleeve of BDO. BDO is then asked to remove the badge. The player then decided when would the BDO of their organization which would you go, there own way and form a separate tour recognize. The WDC signed an agreement with sky television to three tournaments screen a year.This in turn to a different world championships led the first instead of 1994 (although it began in 1993 on Boxing Day) with Dennis Priestley win it.

The WDC has since changed its name to professional darts Corporation (PDC). Relations between the two darts facilities remain restless after a costly three-year court battle which ended in 1997. The PDC has the larger tour with more events and more prize money, while the BDO BBC has maintained audience due to terrestrial television coverage and larger display. The PDC has been employed to develop tournaments in USA Australia Netherlands, South Africa, Germany among others. The PDC events televised in you UK are televised on Sky. An important development for darts in 2007 was the return of ITV shielded the Grand Slam of darts. The event was unusual as it was ran from the PDC but was for players who won or runners were major events in PDC and BDO in the past two years. The only player who rejected it, play was the BDO master of Martin Adams then.

With the two professional associations both still happy to hate each other to the detriment of the sport, it looks like we have two world for years to come darts champions. This year it was John part (PDC) and mark Webster (BDO). On the one hand, there are more darts to observe, but surely there should be a true champion of the world.

Chris Waddington is the editor of darts masters coaching course eBook. This course is not just about How to play darts, it contains serious learning, methods designed to improve your game on your optimal level in six weeks. Visit for more details on the course and the ability to get free excerpts from course playgreatdarts.co.uk