"They don't know what they're doing" - Mason criticises WDF over handling of World Masters after 2023 event cancelled

There will be no WDF World Masters in 2023. The event will return to the darting calendar in 2024 but Chris Mason, in a wide-ranging interview with Online Darts, has given the saga a damning verdict.

"I mean they ruined the event as soon as they changed it to legs from sets. Now it's lost its history which is something that it was known for," Mason says with a shake of the head. "The World Masters was known for that format. They don't know what they're doing. Listen, I'd like to call myself friends with a lot of the people involved but they obviously don't know what they're doing."

In a statement released back in July, Nick Rolls, one of the board members at the WDF, tried to explain the decisions on the WDF website. "It's a huge disappointment that we haven't been able to get everything signed off to make the World Masters a reality in 2023 because we know how much all of our players enjoyed it last year," he said. "While some of the conversations have already reached a positive conclusion, not all were settled before the June deadline we set ourselves. As such, we are now using 2023 as a transition year as we continue to reshape our event schedule."

This, according to Mason, is not good enough. "If you can not sell and get sponsorship for an event of that prestige, the oldest tournament currently in darts then sorry again not fit for purpose," says Mason. "You obviously don't know what you're doing."

"It's the oldest current tournament in history, it's been going since the early 70s. It's sad. You know me, I love the history of the game so to see a tournament of that prestige..." he continues. "Just look at the names on that trophy, look at the players that have made the final and how much coverage it used to get. It's sad but it sums up that world of darts."