'I will need...' - Gian van Veen issues desperate public plea hours before New Zealand Darts Masters

Gian van Veen has issued a desperate public plea mere hours before the New Zealand Darts Masters gets underway.

The event in Auckland takes place this weekend and Van Veen, who finished as runner-up to Luke Littler in the 2026 World Darts Championship, has arrived for the tournament.

However, the same cannot be said for his bags - with Van Veen's luggage remaining at the Charles de Gaulle in Paris prior to the World Series of Darts event.

Panic has set in for the World No.2, who took to his official X account to ask for any help.

Tagging Qatar Airways 24/7 support line, the Dutchman wrote: "I am already in Auckland, but our bags are still at Paris CDG… I will need them before this weekend's World Series tournament. Is there anyone who can help me get them here ASAP?"

Van Veen was met with a reply from Qatar Airways, who apologised for the inconvenience caused.

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The airline responded, saying: "Hello. We are truly sorry to hear about the mishandled baggage. We are here to assist you with your baggage case. We kindly ask that you reach out to us via DM so we can provide you with the necessary support. Thank you."

Van Veen put a similar post out on his Instagram page, where he asked if "there is anyone who works at @parisaeroport CDG" as he repeated that he needed his luggage "to be here before this weekend's tournament".

The 24-year-old is yet to post an update and it is unclear whether his darts and shirt are in the missing bags.

As well as the New Zealand Darts Masters, the Australian Darts Masters is coming up next weekend as the next stop for Van Veen.

How will the New Zealand Darts Masters work?

The World Series of Darts events see the best players from the PDC take on local and regional players with Van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Stephen Bunting, James Wade, Jonny Clayton, Josh Rock, Ross Smith and Damon Heta all participating in the Auckland showpiece.

Littler won last year's tournament at the Spark Arena, beating Damon Heta 8-2 in the final.

The No.1 ranked player has dominated darts in recent times but is not involved this time around.

The total prize money is £100,000, with the winner coming away with £30,000 and the runner-up collecting £16,000.

Proceedings get underway on Friday with the evening session and concludes with the final on Saturday evening.

For the round of 16, every representative from the PDC representative goes up against a regional qualifier for the chance to progress to the quarter finals.

Both of these rounds are best of 11 legs, before it increases to best of 13 and then 15 for the final.