PRESS RELEASE

Darts tournament a boost to local economy

Thursday, 06 November 2003

The Northern Ireland Darts Organisation is hosting the Northern Ireland Open Darts Tournament at the Hastings Everglades Hotel, Derry this weekend, 8th and 9th November. The World Darts Federation and the British Darts Organisation awarded world-ranking points to the Men’s and Ladies Singles, enabling it to have the same eminence as the England, Wales and Scotland Opens.

Welcoming the prestigious competition to the city, the Mayor, Councillor Shaun Gallagher said it was a tremendous boost to the local economy. He said he was delighted to welcome competitors and darts enthusiasts from all over Ireland, the UK and other parts of the world to the North West region for this unique event.

“This is a fantastic tournament which will see darts players and their fans from all over coming to the city to enjoy this event. The tournament commences on Saturday at 12 noon and has a total prizemoney of over £5,000. There will be individual men’s, ladies and youth tournaments as well as a mixed pairs section. All in all it is a great opportunity for us to showcase the city and I hope the competition is a great success and that everyone enjoys their visit to the North West,” he said.

Catherine O’Connor, Manager of the Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau, said hotel beds in some of the local hotels and bed and breakfasts are sold out as a result of the tournament.

“The Northern Ireland Open Darts Tournament is a great event for the city as it will bring visitors from Ireland, Great Britain and Europe. We look forward to welcoming those visitors to the city for this premier darts event and we hope that it will generate not only bedspaces but income into the local economy. The fact it comes just after the biggest weekend of the year for us – Hallowe’en – is an added bonus and next week we also play host to the 40th Ulster Irish Dancing Championships. We are delighted to have three major events in the city at this time of year,” she said.

Adrian Doherty, chairman of the NIDO, added: “The tournament is expected to attract the very best players from around the world as they attempt to win the vital ranking points necessary for entry in the World Championships. In addition the current world champion, Raymond Van Barneveld and the World Masters Champion, Tony West, will be participating in the event. This is the first time that world-ranking points will be available for a tournament to be held in Ireland and will give players from all over the island a unique opportunity to compete against the world’s best.”

For further information regarding the tournament contact Tommy Forsythe at 028 92 619973, Tommy McCarter at 028 71 342918 or Adrian Doherty at 028 71321635.

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