LONDON (AP) — Wasps are causing mayhem on the stage at the world darts championship, so one player came prepared to deal with them.
After walking onto the stage ahead of his first-round match on Tuesday, Jurjen van der Velde created a bit of a buzz by pulling out insect repellant from his pocket and started spraying the air around him and then himself — much to the amusement of the crowd at Alexandra Palace in north London.
Van der Velde was seen wiping his face with a cloth ahead of the game, with tournament organizer the Professional Darts Corporation questioning on X whether the Dutchman was “emotional or has sprayed bug spray in his eyes.”
In all-Dutch match, Van der Velde went on to lose 3-1 to Danny Noppert.
Wasps have been interfering with players during the opening days of the worlds, affecting their throws and post-match interviews. One player, Nitin Kumar, even struck a wasp with his dart mid-flight on Sunday.
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