PDC European Tour hit with double postponement due to Coronavirus outbreak

Two upcoming PDC European Tour events have been postponed due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

Following a decision by the federal governments in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria to prevent gatherings of over 1,000 people, the European Darts Open and German Darts Grand Prix have been postponed.

The European Open (ET3) was due to take place in Leverkusen from March 27-29, while the German Grand Prix (ET4) was scheduled for April 11-13 in Munich.

The PDC are working with partners PDC Europe to schedule new dates for the events, with the possibility that other planned tournaments may move in the calendar as a result.

Tickets already purchased for the events will remain valid for the equivalent session of the re-arranged event, or refunds will be available.

Players have been advised not to book travel or accommodation for these European Tour events, however the qualifiers due to take place in Barnsley on Friday March 13 are set to go ahead as planned.

PDC Europe remain in dialogue with the venue and local authorities in Sindelfingen regarding the forthcoming European Darts Grand Prix, which is planned to take place from March 20-22.

The planned opening three weekends of the 2020 PDC Asian Tour have already been cancelled due to the Coronavirus epidemic, with the season now set to begin in May with events in Seoul and Kobe.

The PDC released a statement last Monday outlining that ‘regular contact’ is being maintained with venues, including for the Unibet Premier League, and that currently the schedule remains unaffected pending further UK government advice.

Players have been exempt from shaking hands before and after matches and fans are advised that during this time players may not feel comfortable interacting to their usual level.