Players participating in this weekend’s Unibet Masters event in Milton Keynes will not be accompanied by walk-on girls.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has confirmed that walk-on girls will no longer be used at its events, effective immediately.
The practice of women accompanying male darts players onto the stage at darts events has been in existence for years and has been the subject of regular criticism; the PDC said it took the decision based on feedback from broadcasters of darts events.
“We regularly review all aspects of our events and this move has been made following feedback from our host broadcasters,” the PDC said in a statement to the Press Association.
Speaking to AD Sportwereld last year, world number one Michael Gerwen foresaw such a move taking place.
“The PDC wants more people to see it as a sport. It does not interest me (walk-on girls). It is just a sport,” Van Gerwen said.
Van Gerwen’s compatriot, Raymond van Barneveld, is opposed to the decision, tweeting a link to a petition on Friday to maintain the tradition of walk-on girls, a petition that has received over 5,000 signatures to date.
I will really miss the girls !! For me they are a part of the darts. Sign their petition so they hopefully can keep their jobs @Charl0ttewood : https://t.co/FqhlOWY7tG https://t.co/YEpdtrwUqb
— Raymond van Barneveld (@Raybar180) January 26, 2018
The decision by the PDC is likely to lead to a review of women performing similar roles in other sports such as Formula One and boxing; in December of last year, Ross Brawn, F1 managing director of motorsports, told the BBC that the use of female promotional models is a “delicate topic” which is “under strong review”.
