BRAVE UKRAINIANS on the front line can escape the horrors of war this Christmas by securing at spot at the PDC World Darts Championship in London.
Kyiv will host a two-day qualifying event this weekend with the winner earning the chance to play alongside reigning darts champion Peter Wright at Ally Pally in two months.
About 30 players are understood to be involved in this special knockout tournament at the Hotel Nivki, which is in the north-west of the capital city.
It is open to countrymen and women, especially soldiers who have been fighting off Russian troops since the start of the invasion in February.
The PDC will pay £7,500 in travel expenses for the champion to fly to the UK and appear on the oche at the famous North London palace.
The 16-day 2023 world champs start on Thursday December 15 and there are 32 spots for worldwide international representatives in the 96-person draw.
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It is difficult to gauge who will progress on Sunday night because no-one from the country has been able to travel to EuroTour competitions this year.
Since Vladimir Putin began his brutal bombardment eight months ago, there have been no Ukrainian players inside the top 50 of the EuroAsian Darts Corporation (EADC) rankings.
Like most international sports, Russian and Belarussian stars have been banned from playing while the war continues.
Wright, who beat Michael Smith in the 2022 final, will defend his title later this year.
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Matt Porter, CEO of the PDC, said: "To have a Ukrainian player at the World Darts Championship for the first time will be a boost for darts in the country.
"It's a positive step for this to be held in Kyiv.
"We wanted to still have the region represented at Ally Pally and with Ukrainian players having competed on the EADC circuit it was appropriate in the circumstances to give them their own qualifier."
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