Vincent van der Voort tests positive for coronavirus and OUT of darts World Championships with James Wade given bye
COVID has wiped out its first active player from the William Hill PDC World Darts Championship – as Vincent van der Voort tested positive.
The tall Dutchman was due to face James Wade tonight in the third round of the championship in the second session post-Christmas.
Yet the No.29 seed was ruled out after contracting the killer bug and Wade will receive a bye into the fourth round.
Van der Voort, 46, will receive £25,000 in prize money but will have to observe a period of self-isolation as per UK government rules.
The PDC said: “Vincent van der Voort has withdrawn from the William Hill World Darts Championship after testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of his match with James Wade.
“Wade will receive a bye to the last 16 and Monday evening’s session will continue with two matches.”
It is the worst news imaginable for the PDC, especially as Van der Voort spent Christmas Day at his manager’s home with world No.3 Michael van Gerwen and some of the day with Dirk van Duijvenbode, who came from behind to beat Ross Smith 4-3 in the third round.
Three-time world darts champion Van Gerwen, 32, is set to face Chris Dobey and would have to provide a negative later flow test tomorrow morning before he is allowed into the building.
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Reserves could fill in the gap for the first and second round but anyone who tests positive from now onwards is booted out and misses the chance of trying to win the £500,000 loot on Monday January 3.
Darts bosses were already on high alert of a possible Covid outbreak at Ally Pally when Raymond van Barneveld announced on Christmas Eve he had tested positive.
Holland’s five-time darts world champion announced on social media that he started feeling unwell and experiencing a “shortness of breath and fever” following his second-round exit against Rob Cross last Thursday night.