‘If he gets caught’ – Darts star warned he faces lifetime ban after World Championship controversy

Darts star Dom Taylor has been warned he is at risk of an ‘immediate life ban’ after being thrown out of the World Championships.

The 27-year-old saw his World Championship bid cut short in December after failing a drugs test.

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Six-month ban

It came within 14 months of another drug test failure, leading to a ban from the sport.

The star was subsequently stripped of this £25,000 prize money and handed a six-month ban after the Darts Regulation Authority Disciplinary Committee concluded that Taylor had taken the substances outside of the Championships.

Taylor, who admitted breaching anti-doping rules after testing positive for cocaine and cannabis, would have faced a four-year ban had he taken drugs during the competition.

However, as he cannot play in Q-School until January 2027, Taylor is effectively out of action for 12 months.

Last chance

In an interview with Online Darts, Professional Darts Players Association chairman Alan Warriner-Little said Taylor will be on thin ice when he returns to competition.

“If he gets caught again, it’s an immediate lifetime ban. It couldn’t happen again,” Warriner-Little said.

Taylor was victorious in his first-round match at Ally Pally but was kicked out of the competition before he was able to take on second-round opponent Jonny Clayton.

Following his premature exit, Taylor released a statement apologising for his actions and listing off a series of struggles that may have led to his actions.

That included the tragic deaths of his daughter, grandparents and his friend and missing his uncle’s funeral because he was trying to qualify for the World Championship.

Warriner-Little revealed that the sport is funding Taylor’s rehab and confirmed that the drugs taken were not performance-enhancing.

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He said: “Everybody can have an opinion on drugs because it’s the word ‘D’, isn’t it — drugs. It’s a very big topic, so I think it’s important to stick to the facts first.

“The only reason it’s on the banned substance list is because it’s illegal, not because it’s a performance-enhancing drug — because it’s not.

“There’s no indication whatsoever of cheating. If you get caught with a drug test — which the PDC, ourselves and the DRA do on a regular basis — you could be in trouble.

“If Dom Taylor had been in competition, that would have been four years.

“From 23:59 the day before the tournament starts, that’s considered out of competition. Anything after that is in competition. It was borderline.

“Those are guidelines, which is fine. But the use was very high, and that makes a difference. He was very lucky, absolutely.

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“You can only follow the rules. He’s done the crime and done the time in terms of the rules and the law.”

He continued: “The guy was in trouble. He’s got an addiction. His life was all over the place. He was chaotic.

“Last year, he missed the World Championship. This year he’s lost £25,000 in prize money, lost his tour card, lost his sponsorship. He’s lost a lot — and that’s all his fault.

“It doesn’t help the sport at all. The timing wasn’t great — the World Championship is the flagship event, so it made headlines.

“Of course, we helped him. It’s not cheap, but we have a fantastic support network. We would do that for anybody.

“He’s doing fine. I spoke to him this morning. He’s due out at the end of this week.”