Live darts is set to return to Frimley Green in January 2022 after the World Darts Federation announced the resurrection of the Lakeside World Championships, with live coverage to be broadcast on Eurosport.
Set to feature the best players from the WDF circuit, the 2022 Lakeside World Championships, which will comprise of men’s, women’s and youth tournaments, will take place at the famous Lakeside Country Club from 1-9 January.
The WDF, which will organise the event, has confirmed a major broadcast deal with Eurosport, which televised the previous two editions of the now-defunct British Darts Organisation’s World Championships in 2019 and 2020.
Viewers in the UK and more than 50 markets across Europe will be able to watch exclusive live and on-demand coverage via Eurosport’s TV channels, as well as online streaming via the Eurosport Player and discovery+.
The return of World Championship darts to the Lakeside comes after a turbulent year for the sport at grass roots level in the UK.
The BDO, which founded the World Championships in 1978, went into liquidation in September 2020 after a failed decision to move the tournament from the Lakeside to London’s O2 Arena.
Since then, the United Kingdom Darts Association (UKDA) has taken over responsibility for the counties who used to play in the BDO system, while the WDF announced plans to launch a new World Championships to replace the BDO version.
The iconic Lakeside venue provided 34 consecutive years of memorable televised darting moments, created by the players that went on to become legends of the sport.
Household names such as Eric Bristow, Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Trina Gulliver and Martin Adams have all lifted trophies upon its famous stage, in the days when the championships enjoyed extensive coverage on the BBC.
The last winners of the BDO World Championships to be held at the Lakeside in 2019 were Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki, while England’s Glen Durrant completed his hat-trick of championship wins.
The 2022 WDF Lakeside World Championships will feature 48 men and 24 women players, and the Youth event will also see its semi-finals added to the schedule.
2020 BDO world champions Wayne Warren and Mikuru Suzuki will head the list of invitations to compete at Lakeside 2022, and they will be joined by WDF circuit regulars Ross Montgomery, Aileen de Graaf, Jim Williams and Beau Greaves.
Further details of Eurosport’s coverage of the 2022 WDF Lakeside World Championships, as well as news on any further WDF events to be televised by the pay-TV broadcaster, will appear here once confirmed.
For a full list of all forthcoming major darts tournaments on the box, visit SOTB’s dedicated darts on TV listings page.
The WDF World Championships will be returning to “the home of world darts, the Lakeside!”, with exclusive coverage through Eurosport and discovery+.
The Men’s, Women’s and Youth Lakeside World Championships.
(Sat 1st to Sun 9th Jan 2022)Full story here https://t.co/07NTDeYKkH
— WDF Darts (@DartsWDF) June 6, 2021