German Darts Federation wants to help darters get off the booze; ban on alcohol at German tournaments in the works

The German Darts Association (Deutscher Dart-Verband, DDV) is considering banning alcohol at tournaments organized by the association.

The DDV, together with the German anti-doping authority, is looking into the possibility of establishing alcohol controls. "We stand for a clean and fair sport and expect our members to be able to play darts in those conditions. When it comes to alcohol, it is not only about the effect it has on performance, but also about the role model function of the athletes," the German federation reports to NOS.

Thus, the DDV's plan does not affect tournaments of the PDC or of the NDB in the Netherlands. The PDC tests darters for doping, but consuming alcohol before a match is not prohibited. It is not allowed to bring alcohol on stage.

That does not seem to change for the time being either. "The German association is an amateur organization that has no relationship with us," a PDC spokesman told NOS. "While we recognize that the roots of the sport are strongly linked to pubs, that does not resemble the modern, professional game that the PDC represents."

The Dutch Darts Association, through director Paul Engelbertink, says they would rather focus on education than possibly banning alcohol in the sport. "We advise all darters to be careful with alcohol and tell what the negative consequence of alcohol can be on your game," Engelbertink stated.

"Alcohol is not on the doping list because it doesn't improve your performance. It can help darters reduce stress, but it is not recommended because it makes you move in a less controlled way. We are seeing more and more top darters not drinking anything at all. Also in the sport of darts it is now clear that a healthy lifestyle takes you further than an unhealthy lifestyle,'' the director of the NDB concludes.