Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen withdraw from first European Tour event of 2026
The PDC have confirmed in a statement that Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen have withdrawn from this weekend's Poland Darts Open.
The 2026 European Tour is set to get underway in Krakow, with Friday's opening round at the inaugural Poland Open featuring 16 matches across two sessions as Krzysztof Ratajski takes centre stage.
Luke Littler will also take part in the tournament alongside Luke Humphries and 45 other players, but Price and Van Gerwen will not challenge for the £35,000 top prize due to medical reasons.
According to the PDC, Price is said to have withdrawn from this weekend's event due to medical reasons following Night Three of the BetMGM Premier League on Thursday.
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Van Gerwen, meanwhile, has been unable to recover from the medical issue that ruled him out of Premier League action in Glasgow. The Dutchman pulled out of the event in Poland on Friday morning.
It has since been confirmed that two-time World Championship quarter-finalist Callan Rydz will take Van Gerwen's place.
Price, meanwhile, has been replaced in this weekend's field by former world champion Michael Smith, who will enter the tournament alongside Rydz in Saturday's second round of fixtures.
The news comes just a week after Smith decided to withdraw from qualifying following a frosty encounter against Mickey Mansell.
Qualifying for the first two events on this year's European Tour took place in Germany on February 11 as players competed to take part in the Poland Open and the European Darts Trophy, which will take place in March.
It was a positive start to the day for Smith, who looked to be on course for a spot in the Poland Open after beating Jeffrey Sparidaans and Samuel Price in his opening two games.
But the former world champion was beaten 6-3 by Mickey Mansell, a result he was far from happy about.
Smith vented his frustration after the game, writing on his Facebook page: "Imagine doing that to win a game. Tinkerbell won’t come along and move your darts for you. No need stand looking at the board for 15 seconds. Horrible mentality. And horrible player."
The 35-year-old quickly deleted the post but decided to withdraw from the qualifier, less than an hour after losing against Mansell.
Mansell also took to social media following his win over Smith. He wrote on X: "Shoulda been a boxer!! Knocked one man outta 2 tournaments."
Topics: Darts, Michael van Gerwen
Jack Kenmare