"Clearly this is a disappointing decision to have to make, especially as momentum and excitement was building around the return to Lakeside." The 2022 WDF World Darts Championship has been moved from January to April
Wednesday 15 December 2021 17:10, UK
The 2022 WDF World Darts Championship has been postponed, and will now take place in April.
The tournament's inaugural staging, which will take place at the Lakeside Country Club, was originally scheduled for January, filling the void of the BDO World Championship, which last took place in 2020.
Some of the sport's biggest names outside the PDC, including former BDO world champs Wayne Warren and Martin Adams, had been confirmed for the field.
It was announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has been pushed back to April 2-10, "due to growing concerns and potential government restrictions relating to the Covid-19 pandemic".
"Clearly this is a disappointing decision to have to make, especially as momentum and excitement was building around the return to Lakeside," said WDF secretary general Nick Rolls. "But the health and safety of our players and supporters must be our first priority."
"Travel is also becoming increasingly restrictive, and with so many players to consider coming from overseas, it is essential to the WDF and their member nations that they are still able to compete in what is truly a global championship. We hope that having now rescheduled, it keeps those players' dreams alive from all over the world."
"The whole initiative behind the WDF World Championships is to provide an end of season finale for the players as reward for their efforts over the season," added WDF chief development officer Richard Ashdown.
"For the players to experience the Lakeside to its full potential, it is important that those competing, as well as the fans who come along to support, can do so with as little restriction as possible and in the safest environment that we can provide."
The PDC World Championship gets underway on Wednesday December 15. Watch every arrow from every session at the Alexandra Palace across 16 days live on Sky Sports.
