Sports
Paddy Power Logo Blurred For ADOA Foundation During Luke Littler Game
Eagle-eyed fans who tuned in to watch Luke Littler and Ryan Searle’s semi-final match at the World Darts Championship will have noticed that the Paddy Power sign behind them had been blurred out. And it was done for a very good reason.
Reigning champion Littler was aiming to reach his third World Championship final in as many years, while Searle was hoping to upset the odds. But it was the former who advanced, beating his opponent 6-1 in sets to secure his spot.
However, Searle has had to overcome more than his opponents during his journey in the competition. ‘Heavy Metal’ has been playing while battling an incurable eye condition known as Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy, aka ADOA, which can lead to him struggling to see where his dart has landed on the board.
Paddy Power Show Support to Searle With Graphic Change
Despite his condition, Searle has still managed a marvelous campaign at the World Championships, beating Chris Landman, Brendan Dolan, Martin Schindler, James Hurrell and Jonny Clayton to reach the last four. He’s raised funds and awareness for ADOA throughout the competition, generating over £15,000 for the Cure ADOA Foundation.
To celebrate his journey and his achievements, sponsor Paddy Power have also shown their support and have raised awareness through a unique campaign. Searle’s match against Littler was the only one at the tournament where the signature ‘180’ boards given to fans featured blurred writing to demonstrate how his vision is affected.
Additionally, the tables on the stage and the digital signage at Alexandra Palace were also all blurred. And the betting company confirmed that they would be donating €15,000 to the Cure ADOA Foundation in a statement on Twitter.
Searle, who learned about the news prior to his match against Littler, gave his thoughts on the gesture, saying: “That [Paddy Power’s donation] means a lot to the charity. They didn’t have to do that, so fair play to them.”
He added: “That [blurring the logo] is a nice touch from them. Like I said, again, they didn’t have to that. If we can raise a bit more awareness and raise some money for them, it’s only a good thing.”
Littler: Searle Can be ‘Proud’ After ‘Amazing’ Tournament
Although Searle had done well to reach the semi-finals, it wasn’t to be against Littler, who came back from losing the first set to book his spot in the final. But ‘The Nuke’ was incredibly complimentary about his opponent following the tie and chose to pay tribute to Paddy Power’s changes on the night.
“This is crazy,” he said. “A few boos, a few cheers but it’s been a good crowd. Big shout out to Paddy Power for blurring the signs after what Ryan said because he’s partially blind in on set.
“I went 1-0 down and was not the happiest. I thought I didn’t play that well. Everyone knows I just want to go 1-0 up, get into that lead.
“I said to myself ‘you will find it’ and it went 1-1, 2-1, 3-1 and so on. Big shout out to Ryan. He’s done amazing this tournament. He can be proud.”
