On Tuesday, the sad news came out that Arie van der Rassel passed away at the age of just 58. 'The Enforcer' was considered one of the best-known paradarters in the Netherlands for many years.
Van der Rassel used his status to make paradarts more popular in the Netherlands. Because of a spinal cord injury, he was in a wheelchair from childhood, but that did not prevent him from playing darts. Van der Rassel grew into a top player in Dutch paradarts and became Dutch champion several times.
On
the website of the Dutch Darts Association (NDB), Marijke Zomer, national coach of the Dutch paradarters, reflects on the passing of Van der Rassel. "Arie's passing is incredibly sad news. Arie was the first Dutch paradarts champion and from the beginning involved and very committed to paradarts in the Netherlands. How proud he was when he was allowed to wear the Dutch team shirt. He found it an honor to play for his country. Unfortunately he could not win the match against his illness. Rest in peace Arie'', Zomer concludes.
