Darts’ newest major tournament will be covered by British Eurosport after the pan-European channel secured a deal to broadcast the 2014 BDO World Trophy.
Following swiftly on from the Lakeside World Championship, the tournament will take place in Blackpool from Febrary 5-9 and will see more than 1,000 players joining top professionals to battle it out for the title.
Players from all over the world, including the BDO’s biggest names including Scott Waites, Jan Dekker, Robbie Green, Martin Adams and Tony O’Shea, will be taking part and fighting for the £30,000 first prize, though the organisation’s world champion Stephen Bunting will be absent following his recent defection to the PDC.
The qualifiers will also see some familiar names involved, including Lakeside runner up Alan Norris, Dutch entertainer Co Stompe, who returns from the PDC, and the controversial former BDO world champion Ted ‘The Count’ Hankey, who also confirmed his return to the BDO after spending two years with the PDC.
But the undoubted highlight of the first night in Blackpool is the encounter between champions past and present when the ever-popular former BDO world champion Andy ‘The Viking’ Fordham makes his TV darts return when he takes on the Lakeside runner up Alan Norris.
The world’s top female players, including Anatasia Dobromyslova, Deta Hedman and Trina Gulliver, will also be in action as they compete for a £6,000 top prize.
All these names and more will be on display for British Eurosport viewers in February as the pan-European channel broadcasts extensive daily live coverage of the tournament, giving darts fans the chance to see more BDO action following its coverage of the 2013 Winmau World Masters.
The BDO World Trophy is the first in a new year-long calendar of events aimed at boosting the number of major BDO tournaments, culminating in the Super Series in July.
A guaranteed £115,000 prize pot will be on offer for its participants, second only to the World Championships in terms of prize money for an individual tournament on the current BDO darts circuit.
The TV deal with Eurosport was struck by BDO Events, the newly established commercial arm of the BDO, which aims to replicate the success of the rival Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) by re-invigorating the BDO’s circuit of events, including more TV tournaments and refreshing its image.
Only two BDO tournaments were televised by major networks in 2013, with the BBC and ESPN covering the Lakeside World Championship, while British Eurosport broadcast the final day of the Winmau World Masters in October.
The BDO World Trophy at the iconic Blackpool Tower will be the first to be staged by BDO Events and they hope it will set the standard for all BDO tournaments moving forward and breathe new life into the BDO’s side of the sport.
Scott Newhouse, managing director of organisers BDO Events, said: “The World Trophy is going to be a true festival of darts. We are so pleased with the response from top players as well as from some great new talent.
“Eurosport is a key partner for us. Their experience and live coverage will contribute hugely to the international fame of our new tournament and is testimony to how the World Trophy is already being recognised by the darts world.
“This will be a new dawn for darts and a great year for new tournaments in the world of darts. It’s going to be The Lakeside of the North.”
Sue Williams, chair of the BDO, added: “This is an exciting time for the game. This tournament is the result of many months of hard work and collaboration between ourselves and BDO Events.
“We all hope that those who will be joining us at the venue and those watching on Eurosport will enjoy this brand new major tournament on the BDO calendar.”
The televised stages of the inaugural BDO Daily Mirror World Trophy starts on Thursday, February 6 and every dart thrown from this point of the competition to the finals on Sunday evening will be shown live on British Eurosport.
For more information about the BDO World Trophy, visit the BDO Events website.
.
