- Sakamoto leads Japanese women's sweep at Skate Canada
- Sainz success shows his class as Ferrari rise above the radar
- Verstappen, Norris set for another duel
- Michelle Obama admits fear over vote result, slams Trump
- Sainz takes pole for Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen
- Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend Skate Canada pairs title
- Lille score twice in stoppage-time to beat Lens after 'extraordinary' week
- Barca in 'flow' state after thrashing Madrid: Flick
- Curfew extended in French Caribbean territory amid power blackout
- Ruling party set to win Georgia election amid opposition protests
- Lille score twice deep in stoppage-time to beat Lens, Brest win
- NASA astronaut released from hospital after return from ISS
- Lewandowski double as Barca shred Madrid in La Liga Clasico
- Floods hit Saint-Tropez as rains lash south of France
- Japan votes with new PM on shaky ground
- Herve Renard completes surprise return as Saudi coach
- Di Lorenzo fires Napoli five points clear, Atalanta hit Verona for six
- Van Graan has 'utmost respect' for Du Toit as Bath go top of Premiership
- Report details fossil fuel threat to 'Amazon of the seas'
- Michelle Obama to boost Harris, as Trump rages against migrants
- Catholic Church assembly acknowledges 'obstacles' for women
- 'Too early' to say Leverkusen out of title race: Alonso
- World champion Malinin grabs men's lead at Skate Canada
- Farrell 'sorry' for second Top 14 yellow in Racing win
- Ruling party set to win Georgian elections
- Piastri, Norris set Mexico practice pace as Verstappen struggles
- Lewis century gifts West Indies consolation victory in Sri Lanka
- Guardiola vows to learn from rock-bottom Southampton after tight win
- Rooney 'angry' despite stunning Plymouth fightback in Preston draw
- Opposition, ruling party both shown ahead in Georgia elections
- Venezuelan prosecutor accuses Lula of faking injury as tensions with Brazil rise
- Draper into Vienna ATP final, ensures career-high ranking
- Farrell opens Top 14 try account in Racing victory, ends game in sin-bin
- Opposition tipped to win narrow majority in Georgia election: exit poll
- Haaland fires Man City to top of Premier League, Villa held
- West Indies set 195 to win rain-hit Sri Lanka ODI
- Leipzig beat Freiburg to go top, Dortmund lose away again
- Shelton downs friend Fils to reach Basel final
- Di Lorenzo fires Napoli past Lecce and five points clear
- Hussain says Pakistan have found 'kryptonite to Bazball' with England series win
- Seven dead in overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine
- Tehran presses on, uneasy after Israeli strikes
- Masood says Pakistan need stability after famous England win
- Iran warns will defend itself after Israeli strikes
- N.Korea involvement in Ukraine raises regional security risks: analysts
- Santner heroics seal historic New Zealand Test series win in India
- Brignone wins ski World Cup opener as Shiffrin flops
- Thitikul surges into three-way lead at LPGA in Malaysia
- Israel hits Iran military sites in retaliatory strikes
- Santner heroics seal New Zealand's first Test series win in India
Game on! Dutch darts world hits the Bullseye
The packed stadium shudders as thousands of orange-clad Dutch fans bounce around, chanting the name of their favourite player. But they're not watching Ajax or the Netherlands football team. This is darts.
Sometimes derided as a game played over a pint in British pubs, darts is a huge deal in the Netherlands.
Boards can be found in every pub, the grassroots game is massive and growing, TV coverage extensive, and the exploits of top "darters" make national headline news.
The latest Dutch hero is Michael van Gerwen (or "MvG") and more than 12,000 fans sold out the Rotterdam Ahoy arena Thursday to see him compete in the Premier League, which pits the world's top eight players against each other.
Well-oiled fans, many in orange fancy dress, went crazy every time players hit the maximum 180, punctuating their screams with regular chants of "Stand up if you love the darts" which brought everyone to their feet.
But the roof really came off when Van Gerwen strode to the stage in his trademark bright green shirt. The fans cheered every dart MvG threw, but to no avail -- he lost to world number one Luke Humphries.
- 'Like the Beatles' -
Why is darts so popular in the Netherlands? Three words: Raymond van Barneveld.
A former postman from The Hague, Van Barneveld, now 57, has a decent claim to be the best player ever to throw a dart.
In 1998, "Barney" was the first Dutchman to win a world championship, the first of five in a career that included his 7-6 win over Phil "The Power" Taylor in the 2007 final many consider the best match of all time.
That 1998 win at the iconic Lakeside venue catapulted darts into the Dutch consciousness and broke the monopoly of British champions, paving the way for it to be the more global sport it is today.
"It was unbelievable," he told AFP in his office, a treasure trove of darts memorabilia, with trophies and championship photos lining every wall -- except the one with his three practice boards.
"The television viewing figures were insane. Some people said to me over five million viewers. Back then we had only 15 million people in Holland," he told AFP.
"I got a tulip named after me... When I came through (Amsterdam's) Schiphol Airport, it was like the Beatles were arriving at Schiphol. I was shocked."
After a brief retirement, Van Barneveld is fighting his way back up the rankings.
The "Barney Army" that supported him around the world was still in evidence in Rotterdam, periodically chanting his name even though he's now far from the top eight.
- 'Darts and beer' -
Away from the professional oche, at Bar Club 188 in The Hague, the players from the 188 Eurobangers are warming up for their tricky division 3 clash against the "Half Moon Cafe Wrecking Balls."
Bar Club 188, which has been hosting darts for 50 years, recently jettisoned its pool table to squeeze in another oche, such is the demand.
Nikki Schenkeveld-Siemons was born upstairs, her parents owned the pub and passed it down to her. She has been playing darts since her early teens.
"Around the time Raymond van Barneveld got big in the Netherlands, darts just exploded. Everybody wanted to play darts, play in a darts team," the 35-year-old told AFP.
"I think we started with two teams. We have 14 right now and a couple of the teams have a waiting list," she added.
Competitive darts is played almost every night at Bar Club 188. Players warm up to the strains of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" to get the juices flowing.
Football plays on the TV but no one is watching -- if anyone does glance away from their match, it is to watch the televised darts.
Schenkeveld-Siemons can count 100 regular players at her pub alone. The Dutch Darts Association has 33,000 official members but this is a fraction of the recreational players.
"Once people start trying, they figure out that it's not that easy but it's a bit addictive... it's a fun and very annoying game at the same time," she said.
Fresh from his victory for the Eurobangers, Marco De Bakker, a 32-year-old horticulturist, was also inspired by Van Barneveld to pick up the arrows.
"When I was a small child, he was always on TV and he was a legend. Still is!" De Bakker declared, gulping down a beer for refreshment after his efforts.
De Bakker had a simple answer for the popularity of Dutch darts.
"In the Netherlands, we all like pubs. Same as in England, I guess. And here a lot of the pubs have darts boards. So when you go to the pub, you get darts and beer. So that's all good!"
B.Finley--AMWN