28 June 2023 , 10:41
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A current darts star has made an astonishing revelation by claiming that "70 per cent of players are alcoholics" with the drinking culture rife in the sport.
Jochen Graudenz even alleged that one player continued to drink despite being diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, as it helped him focus during games. On the contrary, the German also suggested his decision not to touch alcohol had aided his recent progress, giving him an advantage over the majority of his opponents.
Graudenz competes on the Challenge Tour, having also become a prominent name on the Swiss Darts Corporation Tour. He went through Q School earlier this year, although remains a long way from the world elite with a ranking of 181 in the PDC Challenger Order of Merit.
The explosive remarks came in an interview with dartsnews.de, where he implied that alcohol issues meant the hierarchy of the sport was distorted: "Darts is an unfair sport. If you want to reach the top you have 70 per cent of the top stars who are alcoholics," he said.
"Darts is 95 per cent head. When you play at home in your familiar environment you play great darts. When you go to a tournament you probably don't play great darts anymore because: ‘Everything is strange here, I'm nervous, I'm playing against someone’.
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"And what's the best way to solve that problem? By just getting drunk. And I absolutely can't deal with that. There's a good player and the young guy sees that he drinks. What does the young guy do sooner or later? He drinks too. Because he thinks it will make him better."
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Jochen Graudenz has alleged 70 per cent of darts players are alcoholicsAnd Graudenz also argued that reliance on alcohol means some players were seeking short-term gain, but ignoring the long-term detrimental effects on their welfare: "That's certainly true in the short term, but the problem is that it affects your health. At some point it goes downhill physically."
Given it's pub-sport persona, alcohol and darts are notions long perceived to have gone hand in hand. Events like the Premier League and PDC World Championship at the Ally Pally are also synonymous with fans being rowdy and creating a boistrous atmosphere whilst enjoying a few beers.
And a number of high-profile players have admitted to problems. Back in 2004 Andy Fordham, who died in 2021 from major organ failure, reportedly downed 24 bottles of beer before winning his maiden world title with a win over Mervyn King.