The World Darts Championships are currently underway at Ally Pally in London, but did you know there are two world champions? In fact, there are three if you count the World Seniors Championship, which takes place in February. So, why are there two world champions in one sport?
This split originates from two organizations: the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). Though the BDO no longer exists, its legacy still lingers.
Darts, a traditional pub game in the UK and Ireland, gained significant television exposure in the 1970s, especially through shows like Yorkshire Television’s Indoor League. The most important tournament, the 1979 World Darts Championship, was broadcast on BBC. The BDO’s success came largely from its ability to secure sponsorships, including from tobacco companies, with the Embassy World Darts Championship being its flagship event, often held at the Lakeside venue.
However, by the 1980s, darts’ public image was tarnished by associations with drinking and smoking. ITV began cancelling tournaments, and by 1993, the top sixteen players broke away from the BDO to form the World Darts Council (WDC), which later became the PDC. Their goal was to secure more TV exposure and grow the sport.
The 16 players who left the BDO included notable figures like Bob Anderson, John Lowe, Eric Bristow, and Phil Taylor. The BDO responded by banning them from its events, but this only strengthened the breakaway movement. After hosting a small UK Masters tournament in 1992, the WDC gained support from Sky Sports and held its first World Championship in 1994 at the Circus Tavern in Essex, with Dennis Priestley emerging as the winner.
The split resulted in two competing World Championships. The PDC version, backed by Sky Sports, quickly gained prominence. Meanwhile, the BDO’s events became increasingly irrelevant. Although the BDO World Championships at Lakeside produced quality darts, the PDC’s rise, led by stars like Phil Taylor, made the BDO tournament an afterthought.
The PDC eventually became the dominant force in darts, thanks in part to its pro tour and youth development system. Top players like John Part, Raymond van Barneveld, and Michael van Gerwen transitioned from the BDO to the PDC, further cementing the PDC’s status. The BDO’s decline was marked by its loss of the BBC deal in 2016 and its 2020 move to the O2 Indigo, where poor ticket sales spelled the end for the organization.
In October 2020, the BDO entered administration, and its events were taken over by the World Darts Federation (WDF), which now organizes its own World Championship at Lakeside. However, the WDF struggles for media visibility, while the PDC, with its lucrative Sky Sports deal, continues to thrive. The PDC's 2024 World Darts Championship final set record viewing figures for Sky Sports, second only to football.
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