Alan Tumo Pansiri is one of the country’s talented upcoming darts players who were recently part of the team that dominated the Region 5 Games held in Namibia.

Darts is an old game that is trying to find its space in modern society, with most people attaching it to bars or drinking holes. Modern darts was invented by a carpenter from Lancashire named Brian Gamlin in 1896. However, the history goes back much further. According to the history of the sport, darts began as a military pastime originating in England during the medieval era in the first couple of decades of the 14th century. It has been a long journey and soon, darts will be an Olympic sport. In Botswana, the sport has been finding its feet as evidenced by the recent showing in Namibia.

Pansiri is one of the leading young stars expected to take the game to the next level. He was born 22 years ago in Francistown and was inspired by his brother, Raymond, who was a darts player.

“I started having an interest in playing darts in 2013 because of my brother, Raymond Pansiri. As I watched him, I felt that something was interesting about darts. I decided to give it a shot without looking back. In 2014, I started playing when I was a student at Tashatha Junior Secondary School in Tatisiding,” he said.

Just like most boys, Pansiri grew up playing football in the dusty streets of Tati siding but felt the urge to pursue darts. Even when he was busy chasing football, the young Pansiri had a burning desire to throw a dart.

Pansiri said even when his brother was playing, there was the belief that darts was a bar sport but things are different now. Darts is like any other sport code and soon it will be an Olympic sport.

“I am a member of the BDF Darts Club and I play for the national team. I have represented Botswana three times. In 2015 I was part of the Under-15 team that toured Namibia where I won four medals (a gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze). In 2018, I was selected for the Under-25 team and we travelled to Malawi where I brought home one gold and one bronze. This year I competed in Namibia during the Region 5 Games as part of the Under-25 squad. I won two gold medals,” Pansiri said.

He explained that points are scored by hitting specifically marked areas of the board, although unlike in sports such as archery, these areas are distributed all across the board and do not follow a principle of points increasing towards the centre of the board.

Pansiri said it is always a great feeling to represent his country and even after winning a championship, he always sets his eyes on the next target. He said darts is an interesting sport because it deals with problemsolving and can relieve stress.

Pansiri, who is employed by the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), said despite being one of the best players, national team selection is difficult. He said many players fight for the same spot.

“Sport is expensive everywhere and I am fortunate because my parents are assisting me financially during tournaments and national team selections,” he said.

Pansiri dreams of playing in the darts World Cup one day and said all the hard work is a step to the big stage. He said the sport is growing as indicated by Botswana being a powerhouse in the region. The national team collected 11 gold, four silver and six bronze medals to be crowned the 2022 Region 5 Games champions in Namibia recently.

Pansiri said his role model is English player, Philip Taylor, who dominated darts for over two decades and won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and 16 world championships.

“Taylor has an impressive record and that is the motivation that I wake up to every day. It keeps me going, level-headed, and focused on what I want to achieve,” he said.

FACT FILE

Full names: Alan Tumo Pansiri

Date of birth: August 5, 2000

Place of birth: Francistown

Profession: Soldier

Sport: Darts

Club: BDF

Achievements: Under-25 Region 5 Games gold medallist (2022), Under-25 gold and bronze medallist (2018)

Hobbies: Reading, running and travelling

Favourite meal: Pizza