Why Paddy Power Logo Is Blurred During Luke Littler vs Ryan Searle Game at WDC
The Paddy Power logo is blurred for the Luke Littler vs. Ryan Searle game at the World Darts Championship and here's why.
Littler and Searle are vying for a spot in Saturday's final.
Littler has enjoyed a fantastic run to the semi-finals, beating the likes of Rob Cross and Mensur Suljovic before making light work of Krzysztof Ratajski.
As for Searle, he's also had a terrific campaign, having defeated Martin Schindler, James Hurrell and Jonny Clayton - dropping just two sets in the process.
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After his big win over Clayton, 'Heavy Metal' opened up on his rare eye condition.
Searle has been playing with Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) which sometimes stops him from seeing where his darts land on the board, but it has not stopped him from becoming one of the best players on the circuit.
He's determined to raise both funds and awareness as he aims to shock Littler in tonight's semi-final clash.
Tournament sponsor Paddy Power have shown their support with a visual campaign they hope will help Searle's cause.
The signature '180 boards' held aloft by fans feature the brand's name in blurred writing, along with tables on the stage and their digital signage at the venue also being distorted to demonstrate how the 36-year-old's vision can be impaired.
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Hedy Smit-Wigchers, a board member at the Cure ADOA Foundation, said: "We're so proud of everything Ryan has achieved so far at Ally Pally.
"The vital funds and awareness he's helped raise for the Cure ADOA Foundation will have a life-changing effect for thousands of people.
"Whatever happens tonight, Ryan is our hero."
On his rare eye condition, Searle revealed: "It was only in the last 18 months that I realised what the diagnosis was for my vision. It's been bad for as long as I can remember.
"But to have a diagnosis for it is really good and it puts you in that place where you know what's wrong with your vision. There's no cure for what I've got so I'm stuck with it. I wear contact lenses now to try and take a bit of the blurriness away from my vision.
"But sometimes on stage I'm asking the caller what I've scored and sometimes I don't and it puts me in a bit of a difficult position!
"If I can inspire people that maybe can't see as well as others to pick up the game and give it a go, then it means a lot to me."
Topics: Darts, World Darts Championship, Luke Littler
Nasir Jabbar