Irish player William O’Connor has called on World Cup of Darts organisers to change the venue despite winning through to Sunday’s quarter-finals – because he fears a player will collapse on stage due to the heat. O’Connor and partner Keane Barry secured their place in the last eight this afternoon by seeing off the Switzerland team of Stefan Belmont and Alex Fehlman 8-3.
That victory has set up an enticing clash with the Northern Ireland pairing of Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock. However, O’Connor doesn’t want to return to the Eissporthalle Arena in Frankfurt next year. The world No.47 has hit out at the venue’s conditions, claiming there is risk of a medical emergency due to the searing temperatures.
“It’s so hot up on that stage, it’s hard to play your best darts,” he claimed. “It’s really hard. It’s terrible, we have to change the venue. Or maybe put the air conditioning on because someone will drop over on that stage.”
The tournament has become synonymous with Frankfurt, having first been staged there in 2015. Four years later, it returned to Hamburg, but in 2022, organisers opted to use the Eissporthalle again and have done so annually since.
But O’Connor pointed out he couldn’t enjoy playing, adding: “I’m not exactly the biggest man in the world, but I can tell you it is hot upon that stage. And it is not good. The quicker you are off that stage, the better.”