Raymond van Barneveld granted exemption to play in darts tournament as five-time world champion accepts wildcard invite
DARTS legend Raymond van Barneveld has been granted permission to join the World Seniors Tour.
The 58-year-old has been named as the final wildcard for the 2025 Champion of Champions.
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Barney will take on 11 other legends of the sport at the tournament in Portsmouth on June 29.
The Dutch icon currently holds a PDC Tour Card.
He was given special permission by the PDC to appear in the event later this month.
Van Barneveld began his darts pro career way back in 1987.
He started in the BDO, winning four world titles before joining the PDC in 2006.
Barney added the PDC crown a year later, cementing his place as a legend of the sport.
The Dutchman still plays on the Tour, but his last major televised final came in the 2018 Masters.
He will go up against stars including Simon Whitlock, Steve Beaton and Mervyn King in Portsmouth.
Van Barneveld said: "I am looking forward to playing in this event.
"The sport has always loved big characters, and World Seniors Darts have brought them back, with most still playing to a high standard.
"They have a loyal crowd, and the popularity for the Seniors seems to grow and grow.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with the old faces of the sport, especially from my BDO era.
"I'm not coming over to Portsmouth thinking this will be easy.
"I will be giving my full respect to all of the players involved, and I will be preparing hard for this tournament".
"To have the likes of Simon Whitlock, Steve Beaton and Mervyn King, who have not long come off the Professional Tour, and then Seniors World Champions like John [Henderson], Robert [Thornton], and Ross [Montgomery] also playing, it's going to be a real battle out there to take the title".
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