Sky Sports forced to apologise to darts viewers over Gerwyn Price gesture after missing 180

Sky Sports were forced to apologise over a gesture made by Gerwyn Price during his last-16 match at the PDC World Darts Championship.

The Welshman was up against Jose de Sousa at the Ally Pally, and he secured his place in the quarter-finals with a comfortable 4-1 win.

The world number one is looking to regain the title he won in 2021, and against de Sousa, he averaged just over 94 and hit eight 180s; however, one failed attempt at a 180 prompted a response that appalled many viewers.

PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

After nailing two treble 20s, his third dart strayed and hit a single five.

The 37-year-old then pressed his tongue against his bottom lip and held his hands out limp in front of him, with viewers taking to social media to call him out for allegedly mocking disabled people.

Twitter/Sky Sports

On Twitter, one person wrote: "His behaviour here is despicable, especially when I have a disabled daughter. What action are you going to take against him @SkySportsDarts?"

Another said: "This is NOT acceptable behaviour from a so called professional darts player and needs to be dealt with ASAP!!!!"

A third added: "So as If Gerwyn Price isn't disliked enough already, he pulls this absolute pearler out of the bag mocking disabled people.

"I'm sure it wasn't meant in a bad way, and only aimed at himself BUT you really can't do that and not expect flak."

LADbible has contacted Sky Sports and Price's reps for comment.

Twitter/Sky Sports

'The Iceman' - who beat five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 4-0 in the last round - will next face either Gabriel Clemens or Alan Soutar.

"I ground out a win. I just wanted to get up there and win, it doesn't matter about the performance," Price told a press conference broadcast by PDC media.

"It was just one of those games where I had to get over the winning line, and that is what I did.

"I was battling against myself and against him, but it is what it is – you come up against certain players and circumstances, so you just have to deal with it.

"I felt comfortable through the game and always felt I was going to win, it was just a matter of time."

Topics: Sport

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey