Luke Littler withdraws from tournament as he stands by vow to not return to country
Luke Littler has stood by his vow not to return to Germany before the European Championship later this year.
The Nuke has withdrawn from this weekend's European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen.
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He had been scheduled to be part of the field at the latest PDC European Tour event.
However, both Littler and Daryl Gurney have pulled out of the tournament, which gets underway on Friday.
The pair have been replaced in the draw by reserves Martin Lukeman and William O'Connor.
Meanwhile, Michael Smith has moved up to become the 16th seed in Littler's absence.
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Gary Anderson is the defending champion after clinching last year's title back in April 2024.
Littler will not challenge the Flying Scotsman this weekend, though, as he continues to snub tournaments in Germany.
Following last month's German Darts Grand Prix in Munich, the 18-year-old said he would not play in the country until October.
In a post on social media, he revealed it his semi-final loss to Gian van Veen would be his last match in Germany before the European Championships in Dortmund.
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Littler wrote on Instagram: "Shouldn't have been in Munich, but had to play anyway.
"Next one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that."
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It came after he was met with a hostile reception from the crowd at night nine of the Premier League in Berlin.
Littler was then booed on his way to losing to Van Veen at the German Darts Grand Prix.
There are three more European Tour events scheduled to take place in Germany before the European Championships.
However, fans can expect to see Littler on the EuroTour again before October, with the Netherlands hosting the next event later this month.
The Dutch Darts Championship is set to take place in Rosmalen between May 23 and 25.
Littler's German hiatus isn't expected to see him snub the World Cup of Darts in June, though.
He is currently in line to partner Luke Humphries for England at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.
And speaking about his plans, Littler has said: "No, no, I was always [going to play in the World Cup].
"Luke [Humphries] will want to go back-to-back, and obviously I want to win it for the first time.
"Even though it's not a major, it's still playing for your country."
As it stands, Stephen Bunting would be his replacement if the reigning world champion was to withdraw from the event.
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