Sir Chris Hoy to appear at World Darts' Championship - 'It's about saving lives'
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Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy has been invited to make an emotional appearance at Ally Pally - to present the Ballon d’Art trophy. The six-times gold medallist shocked the world by revealing he has been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. Now World Championship title sponsors Paddy Power, in conjunction with the Professional Darts Corporation’s charity partner Prostate Cancer UK, have asked the superhuman cyclist to hand over the trophy to the player who hits the most 180s at the tournament. Defending champion Luke Humphries won the inaugural Ballon d’Art 12 months ago after hitting 73 maximums out of a record 914 aggregate.
Hoy, 48, is assured of a thunderous reception when he appears on stage on the night of the final on January 3. Last year, a scan revealed a tumour in his shoulder and subsequent tests revealed primary cancer in his prostate which has metastasised in his bones. Now he is helping to drive awareness of a 30-second online risk assessment in the hope 180,000 men will get checked for symptoms of prostate cancer during the three-week tournament.
Hoy, who recently returned from a charity bike ride in Cambodia, said: “This isn’t about medals or records. It’s about saving lives. “If sharing my story gets just one person to check their risk or book a screening, then it’s all been worth it. I didn’t have any symptoms until it was too late. By the time I felt pain, it wasn’t in my prostate anymore – it was secondary cancer in my bones.
