With the bar room game of darts booming in Malaysia nowadays and numerous tournaments being held all over the country, the national team are determined to take it a step further when they compete in the WDF World Cup, which will begin on Monday (Sept 22) in Seoul.
It is already a fine achievement for the Malaysian darters as they have been invited to the tournament after an absence of 14 years. The last Malaysian team that took part in the prestigious tournament was in 2011.
"It is important to do well in the competition for Malaysia. The players are geared up to do well and get a good ranking, and also continue to compete in this tournament in the coming years," said national team manager C. Pathmanathan, who is also the Malaysian Darts Association (MDA) treasurer and the Selangor Darts Association president.
"The targeted index for the national is a spot in the last-16. But I believe we can for a place in the top eight. We have players of that calibre.
"They (the four darters) have been training hard, and the players selected for the tournament are among the very best in the country. They have been together for more than a month now, and I'm proud to say they are capable of going very far in the tournament."
The national players comprising Nasir Jantan, Tenooth Sivalingam, Anbaarajan Retinasamy, and Timothy Ryan Theseira are determined to have a good run to ensure a good ranking in the tournament and also earn another ticket for the tournament in the coming years. The other team member of the team is national assistant team manager Kalaiarasan Nadarajan, the MDA and Johor DA vice-president.
MDA president Nancy Ambrose will also be travelling with the national team for the tournament and representing the country in all the WDF meetings.
Men's national teams participating in the WDF World Cup consist of four players per country, competing as singles, pairs and in a four-player team event.
"We are moving to Seoul on Saturday (Sept 20), two days before the tournament, and the players must get used to the conditions and make good use of the extra days. "It is also about getting comfortable with the conditions, and that will push the team to good performances in the tournament," said Pathmanathan.
The WDF World Cup is a darts tournament organised by the World Darts Federation and held biennially since 1977. It has featured men's events since the beginning, while women's events were added in 1983 and youth events in 1999. The most recent tournament, the 2023 World Cup, was held in Esbjerg, Denmark. Malaysia is making an entry to the tournament after an absence of 14 years, having last taken part in 2011.
The Malaysian Darts Association last week announced the national team and also unveiled the national team outfit during a special ceremony at the Wyndham Grand Bangsar Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Sept 18).
MDA president Nancy also thanked the main sponsor, Ultifresh Activewear, for their immense contribution to the national team for the tournament during the press conference.
Gerald Eng, Director of Ultifresh Activewear, said at the same event that the apparel establishment is also looking at other areas where they can help Darts Malaysia.
"We are very proud to be associated with the national darts team. We hope they will go far in the tournament and continue to fly the Malaysian flag high in all competitions," said Gerald.
"Ultifresh is definitely looking into more areas of partnership in darts in Malaysia. We hope this will be a very successful partnership for both parties."
At the press conference, MDA also thanked all the other sponsors who helped the national team secure a pleasant passage to Seoul. Other sponsors include Altis, Johor Darts Association, Ascents, Kinta Indian Association, Reka Tulin Services, Tessen Trading, Ixora Pewter & Gift, 3rd Eye Production and Sun Rayz.
At the WDF World Cup, the Malaysian quartet will be playing among the very best darters that are playing in the top leagues across the world, and assistant team manager Kalaiarasan is confident the players will be giving more than their best at the tournament
"This is indeed an honour for Malaysia. The last time we took part was 2011," said Kalaiarasan. "We are proud that Malaysia is back in this elite tournament after 14 years. The Malaysian national team promises to go all out to have a good, solid run in this tournament."
Among the favourites for the tournament are England and defending champions Netherlands, while host South Korea and Japan will lead Asia's charge. England has already announced that Scott Mitchell, the former World Champion and previous PDC Tour Card holder, will anchor his country as the captain in South Korea, bringing his valuable experience to the side.
Besides South Korea and Japan, the Asia-Pacific region dart members comprise the following: Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Macau, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Thailand. Besides Malaysia, the Philippines will also lead the charge for the South-East Asia region.
"A total of 46 nations have been invited this year. We can be proud that Malaysia is in this group," said Pathmanathan. "Our Malaysian darters will also be taking part in the South Korea Darts Championships after the World Cup. This Korean meet will be held immediately after the World Cup."
The participating team for the WDF World Cup (46 countries): Australia (men - women - youth); Austria (men - women - youth); Bahamas (men - women); Bahrein (men); Canada (men - women - youth); Chinese Taipei (men - women - youth); Croatia (men - women); Cyprus (men); Czechia (men); Denmark (men - women); Egypt (youth); England (men - women); Estonia (men); Faroe Islands (men - women); Finland (men - women - youth); France (men - women); Germany (men - women - youth); Gibraltar (men); Hong Kong (men - women); Iceland (men - women); India (men - women); Italy (men - women); Republic of Ireland (men - women - youth); Japan (men - women - youth); South Korea (men - women - youth); Liechtenstein (men); Lithuania (men - women); Luxembourg (men - women); Malaysia (men); Mongolia (men - women - youth); Netherlands (men - women - youth); New Zealand (men - women); Northern Ireland (men - women); Norway (men); Philippines (men - women); Romania (men - women); Scotland (men - women); Slovakia (men - women); South Africa (men - women - youth); Sweden (men - women - youth); Switzerland (men - women); Thailand (men); Turkey (men - women - youth); Turks and Caicos Islands (men - women); Ukraine (men); US (men - women - youth); Wales (men - women).
