Get set for some real darts action as some of Asia's top dart players have confirmed their participation for the 12th Cosmo Malaysian Open Darts Championships at the Flamingo Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The much-anticipated event, which is expected to feature all the top darters from South-East Asia, will be held at the KL venue from July 17-19.
The top Malaysian darts competition is also a silver event category in the World Darts Federation (WDF) calendar.
This year's tournament has also been boosted after the organisers of the tournament announced that it will also feature RM56,500 in prize money.
"We are always aiming to make it even better every year with more teams and top dart players participating in the tournament," said Nancy.
"We also aim to make this tournament a top competition in the region in the future. But we are hoping for more sponsors next year as we aim to make the tournament a major show in the international calendar.
"I also like to thank Cosmo for their continued support in being our title sponsor," she added.
The tournament has already attracted an impressive total of 136 teams from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The closing date for the tournament is on June 23. Teams from other countries in Asia and South-East Asia are also expected to confirm their participation in the tournament before the closing date.
Besides the team event section, the men's singles section is also expected to see an impressive challenge for the title. The organisers of the tournament also added that the number of women participating has been excellent so far.
To date, the Women's Doubles section has attracted 36 pairs and the Women's Singles section has already 32 contestants. The numbers are also expected to increase before the closing date.
Among the top players confirmed for the participation is the Philippines' contingent of Christian Perez, Noel Malicdem, Rolly Gabiana, Dolreich Tongcopanon, Sonny Balagat, Christine De Los Reyes and Christopher Melo.
Hong Kong top darter Royden Lam has also confirmed that he will be vying for top honours in the competition. Another darter to look out for in the tournament is Ornong Boonyanit of Thailand in the women's section.
Others challenging for honours in the women's section is the Filipinas contingent of Janice Hinojales, Giselle Bulahao, Lovely Mae Orbeta and Aileen A Oclarit.
The price of entry for the tournament for the men's team section is RM500, and RM100 for the men's singles entry. As for the women's section, the entry is RM150 for women's doubles and RM80 for women's singles.
Meanwhile, Nancy said that MDA is pushing to introduce the sport to Malaysian sports.
"This sport really has a good future in the country. It is a sport that is played by people from all walks of life, and I hope to see more youngsters in the game. Darts in the international game is fantastic, and Malaysians can earn plenty by going full-time here," said Nancy.
"We need more of such tournaments and even more youth training programmes. Only with more support from sponsors and the Sports Ministry can we achieve this objective."
For more information, contact MDA officials Nancy Ambrose 012 208 9146, Akbar Shah 018 7666629, Hafiz Ismail 018 3788001.
