DARTS legend Vincent van der Voort has withdrawn from the World Seniors Darts Championship due to medical reasons.
Van der Voort, 49, was scheduled to return to the oche following a break from darts.
Darts legend Vincent van der Voort has withdrawn from the World Seniors Darts Championship[/caption]
Van der Voort had to step aside due to medical reasons[/caption]
The Dutch Destroyer was set to face Neil Duff in the first round on Thursday at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet.
The exact details behind the health issue that led to the Dutchman’s withdrawal are currently unknown but WSD president Jason Francis expressed his support for Van der Voort.
Francis issued the following statement: “Everyone at WSD’s thoughts go out to Vincent, and we thank everyone for their understanding of the situation.
“Health is paramount, and we wish Vincent all the best. We hope to see him in a WSD tournament very soon.”
Duff has automatically advanced to the Last 16, where he will face the winner of the match between Richard-Eirig Rowlands and Graham Usher.
This comes after Van der Voort opened up about the family heartbreak behind his decision to “retire” from the PDC.
The popular thrower relinquished his Tour Card at the start of the year and bid farewell to professional darts after three decades.
The Dutch star revealed the truth behind his plummeting ranking in 2024 was that he frequently visited his dying sister in hospital and was also comforting her three children during these tough times.
Van der Voort told SunSport: “The most important reason I left was in my personal life. Two years ago, my sister was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away in July.
“Once you get diagnosed with that, then you try everything to get better. It’s sometimes a fight you cannot win.
“I took a lot of responsibility for that. For her kids, who are between the ages of 12-15. To take care of a lot of stuff.
“I underestimated that and what it does to you. To your head, your life and your mindset. In the beginning, I thought: ‘I can do that – when I’m playing a tournament, I can park that’.
“But at one point, I noticed that I couldn’t concentrate anymore. The further you go, you lose your confidence and you don’t want to be there anymore.
“You don’t want to play. So, I said a year off is now the best thing for me to do.”
