“This is the first time that a professional darts tournament has been staged in Dubai and the first time that darts will be played in an outdoor arena,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free.
“We think that this sport, which is growing in popularity across the world, will be a good addition to Dubai’s busy sports and social calendar.”
The eight best players in the world will be in the Irish Village for a preliminary round on the Thursday, May 23 before the best four will move into the semi-finals and the final on a huge Friday night of action.
World No1 Taylor can’t wait: “The Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters is an exciting event and I’m delighted that we’ll be coming to Dubai in May,” he said.
“I’ve never had the chance to play here before so it’s great for me and the other players that we’ll be able to play for such a great title.
“The sport’s growing around the world and it’s a great chance for fans in both Dubai and from across the Middle East to see a live event, and hopefully this will be the seed for the tournament to grow in the coming years.”
With the unique atmosphere and setting of the tennis stadium in the Irish Village, the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters promises to be the biggest festival of darts ever to take place in the UAE.
“Darts is already a hugely popular sport in both Dubai and across the Middle East due to the live television coverage of events on OSN, but it’s a very positive development to be staging the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters,” said Hearn.
“Darts fans in Dubai will now get to see the best players in darts in the flesh for the first time in May and this tournament will give them the chance to experience a full PDC event live.
“Our aim is that the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters will be the inaugural tournament in a World Series of Darts which will see our top players taking the sport around the world, and our negotiations are continuing to turn this vision into a reality.”
One-day tickets for the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters will be sold at Dh199, with early bird season tickets to cover both days sold at Dh299. VIP Tickets (front two rows) will be sold as season tickets at Dh495.
Tickets will be sold through Irish Village (www.irishvillage.ae) and Timeout Tickets (www.itp.net/tickets). Corporate Hospitality tables, which include all Food and Beverages, will also be sold through One Events (www.1uae.ae) or Radar (www.radar-world.com)
WHAT: Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters
WHERE: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
WHERE: May 23 and 24, 2013
CONTACT: www. dubaidutyfree.com; www.irishvillage.ae
STAR PARADE
Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor
The greatest player in darts’ history, Phil recent won his 16th World Championship title at the start of January, with his first back in 1990. With countless titles over the past 25 years and £5m (Dh28.21m)in prize money, Taylor powers on.
Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis
Completed double World Championship glory with victories at Alexandra Palace in 2011 and 2012, making him only the second player in PDC history – behind Phil Taylor – to win back-to-back titles in the event.
Michael ‘Mighty Mike’ van Gerwen
Darts’ shooting star during 2012, jumping over 30 places in the PDC Order of Merit to fourth and winning the World Grand Prix title amongst eight tournament victories during the year. Watch his 17 ‘perfect’ darts during the World Championships in January. Magical stuff.
James ‘The Machine’ Wade
The PDC’s second most successful star with seven major title victories since he first emerged on the professional circuit a decade ago.
Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock
The most successful Australian in the sport’s history, Whitlock claimed his first major title at the European Championship last September.
Andy ‘The Hammer’ Hamilton
A two-time major finalist, Hamilton has been one of the most consistent performers on the big stage for the past 18 months since his career was kick-started with a run to the 2011 World Matchplay semi-finals.
Wes ‘The Warrior’ Newton
Wes’ status as one of the world’s leading players has been confirmed with his inclusion in the McCoy’s Premier League Darts in 2013, recognising his consistency in the past three years which has seen him become a fixture inside the world’s top eight.
Raymond ‘Barney’ van Barneveld
The five-time World Champion is one of darts’ most popular players following a career spanning two decades at the top level.
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