LIM ADMITS FINANCIAL STRUGGLES ARE HOLDING BACK ASIAN PLAYERS

PAUL LIM admits a lack of financial backing is preventing top Asian dart players pursuing their dreams on the PDC ProTour.  

‘The Singapore Slinger’ says the talent is there but few can afford the brutal cost of playing the full Tour in England and Europe. 

Former World Matchplay quarter-finalist Lim believes the PDC Asia Tour is a lifeline and huge boost for developing local players.  

However, the 71-year-old thinks there’s still a mountain to climb for Asian stars hoping to mix it in with the likes of Luke Humphries and Luke Littler every week. 

He told the Tops and Tales podcast: “The problem is that nobody has the financial capability of committing to actually come to the PDC.  

“For so many years, people have asked me, why don’t I try to get a Tour Card?  

“Honestly speaking, with my job, with what I’m doing, I can’t afford to come here because I believe that if you do make a commitment of getting a Tour Card here, once you get your Tour Card, you must commit to playing here because that’s the whole purpose. 

“You want to drive yourself to see how good you really are until you come to play the PDC circuit in Europe and UK. 

“This is not easy at all. Yet until then, that’s why Christian Perez, who actually came from the Philippines — when he got the Tour Card, he tried here, he tried for two years. Now he’s lost his Tour Card. 

“Still, I take my hat off to him and I salute him. 

“I mean, it’s basically all finances.” 

Singapore thrower Lim etched his name into darts folklore with the first nine-darter at a World Championship back in 1990.  

Over the years, Lim has graced several PDC stages, reaching the last-16 of the World Grand Prix in the 1990s. 

He went close to more nine-dart glory against Gary Anderson at the PDC Worlds in 2017, narrowly missing double 12. 

Lim explained the crucial role the PDC Asia Tour plays for local competitors hoping to qualify and one day win the Sid Waddell trophy. 

He added: “I think the PDC Asia Tour is the steppingstone for the Asian players. That is the only steppingstone. Otherwise, we have no other way. 

“Our only way is to qualify through the PDC Asia Tour, PDC Asia Championship. 

“And from there, of course, in Japan they have the PDJ. They have their own little tournament to select one player. In China, they have the PDC China, right, to have one player. 

“Philippine? Actually, they don’t have their own selection. They have to go to the PDC Asia Tour. 

“So basically the PDC Asia Tour has taken a gamble on Asia. I’m thankful for them for actually being able to see that to truly include the world of darts, you have to include Asia. 

“Eventually, look at India’s population, you look at China’s population — come on, we are the biggest populated countries in the world. 

“It’s a matter of creating the awareness and creating the possibility of people being aware of darts being a sport as it is. 

“It’s not easy. I tell you, darts is one of the hardest.”