For the first time in the Selangor international dart tournament, juniors and also para athletes will be allowed to take part and share the spotlight with the top darters.
This will be the scenario when the Selangor Open Darts Championships kick off at the Quayside Mall in Teluk Panglima Garang from April 24-26.
"We really want to see more youngsters involved in the sport. At the end of the day, they are the future of the sport," said Selangor Darts Association president C. Pathmanathan.
"We are also very happy to include a Para Athletes section. And there have been a good number of entries in this section already. It is really an achievement for us."
The much-anticipated event, which is expected to feature top darters from South-East Asia and Malaysia, has also been boosted this year after the organisers of the tournament announced that it will also feature RM31,370 in prize money.
Selangor Darts Association president C. Pathmanathan said: "This year is a record prize money on offer for the darters. We aim to make this tournament a top competition in the region in the future. And we hope to get more participants in the days to come."
Due to ongoing flight issues caused by the Middle East conflict, the organisers have decided to push the closing entry deadline from April 5 to April 15.
"Some participants from overseas are trying to reschedule their flights, and also because of the higher air fares. So it's best to give them a bit of extra time to make the arrangements.
"We are also hoping for more darters from Sabah and Sarawak for the tournament. Last year, we had excellent numbers from East Malaysia, and we hope it will be the same this year," said Pathma.
The Selangor Open is also an international Bronze tournament in the World Darts Federation calendar.
The other categories, besides the junior and para athletes, are the men's and women's singles events, the team event, and the mixed doubles event.
Last year, Shah Alam City Team A clinched the team title while the star of the show was Philippine ace star Janice Penero Hinojales, who won the women's singles and doubles titles.
