Darts, a sport of precision and skill, has grown from its humble beginnings in English pubs in the late 1970s to become a professional sport with championships worldwide.
With over 75 operating federations globally, the sport attracts millions of viewers for tournaments and has a high level of participation, darts has extended its reach into Africa, the Arab world, and Egypt.
The first official darts federation in the Arab region and Egypt, the Egyptian Darts Federation (EDF), was established in 2014. It became a member of the World Darts Federation (WDF) in 2016 and the official declaration for the federation was in 2017.
The federation operates as a private sports federation and ranks as the fourth darts federation in Africa, following Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa.
In 2019, Egypt, which ranks alongside Eastern European countries in the WDF standings, made its international debut at the WDF World Cup in Romania, marking a key moment in its global involvement.
This year, the EDF organized the first African Cup, the second Arab Championship, and the third Egypt Open Dart Championship, a key annual event in the sport, in El Salam City, Sharm El-Sheikh, from 29 October to 5 November. The three tournaments brought together 14 countries and around 200 players.
Some of the nation’s accomplishments in the sport of darts include securing a shared third place in the Women’s Doubles category in the inaugural African Darts Cup, launched on 31 October.
Additionally, at Egypt’s Open Darts Youth Championship, Egyptian Maryem Hamdi, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Cup of Darts in Denmark, and the first Arab and African player to achieve a podium finish in the major tournament, won first place, and Mariam Ashraf, won second place in the girls’ category. Abed Saleh Mohamed, secured an impressive second-place finish in the boys’ category, while Swedish champion Felix Torian claimed the top spot.
According to Yahya Abdelkader, president of the Egyptian, Arab, and African Darts Federations, Egypt’s role in this championship highlights the country’s bid to hold the Darts World Championship in 2027 as well as to promote Sharm El-Sheikh as a candidate city for this global event.
Darts is a rapidly growing sport, particularly within Arab and African federations, the President of the Ugandan Darts Federation, Ariyon Abi, stated. He also urged more African countries that have not joined the African Federation to do so, calling the move essential for expanding the sport across the continent and acknowledging the talent of African players, who have demonstrated exceptional skill in this field.
With the sport taking the global stage, Egypt, as an emerging key player in regional tournaments, gets closer to its bid to hold the Darts World Championship in 2027.
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