Dutch Open to no longer carry BDO ranking points

The Dutch Open will no longer carry BDO ranking points following a dispute between tournament organisers and the BDO over rule changes.

The Dutch Open has been an annual fixture on the darting calendar since 1973 and has grown to become the biggest open darts tournament in the world, with the 2019 event attracting 3,357 male entrants and 367 women.

Tournament organisers Nederlandse Darts Bond claim they received a letter from the BDO on November 29 with several new obligations regarding the current BDO tournament regulations.

The letter outlined the new fees that are being implemented which the NDB believe would negatively impact the 2020 Dutch Open.

A statement on the official Dutch Open website states a reply was sent to the BDO on December 2 urgently requesting the new rules to be overturned, but no correspondence was received before the set deadline.

The NDB went on to state it does not accept the new rules according to the BDO letter and is not willing to pay for BDO points.

The prize fund, which offers £5,000 to the men’s champion and £2,500 to the women’s champion, remains unchanged and players who have already registered for the 2020 event (January 31 to February 2) can receive a refund on their entry fee should they wish to opt out due to the lack of BDO points on offer.

Richard Veenstra and Mikuru Suzuki claimed the respective titles in 2019 and former men’s champions include the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Steve Beaton, Ted Hankey, Wayne Mardle and Mervyn King.