Bristol darts star Dom Taylor has been given a six-month suspension
Daniel Clark Content Editor
13:02, 15 Jan 2026
Bristol darts star Dom Taylor has been given a six-month suspension for failing a drugs test during the PDC World Championship in December.
The Darts Regulation Authority in a statement confirmed that the 27-year-old had admitted breaching anti-doping rules.
The DRA Disciplinary Committee following a hearing that took place on January 7, 2026, said it was "satisfied that Taylor's ingestion of both cocaine and cannabis occurred out of competition and was not following the commencement of the World Championship".
It is the second time which Taylor has been banned following a failed drugs test. He had previously served a one-month ban following a failed drugs test towards the end of 2024 and the sanction for his second offence is in line with UK Anti-Doping's (Ukad) rules.
The statement from the DRA read: “On Friday 19th December 2025 the Chairman of the DRA suspended Dominic Taylor following the failure of a drugs test. Taylor was tested at the World Darts Championship on 14th December 2025 and returned a positive sample for a banned substance. His case was subject to a full hearing before the DRA Disciplinary Committee on 7th January 2026. He admitted the breach of the Anti-Doping Rules.
“Although he had tested positive in competition, the Committee was satisfied that the ingestion of the prohibited substance took place out of competition.
“The sanction available to the Committee is laid down by the UKAD Anti-Doping Rules 2021. Where a player is found to have breached the Anti-Doping Rules for a second time and the ingestion was out of competition, the stipulated sanction applicable to his case is a six-month period of ineligibility as at 10.9 of the UKAD Anti-Doping Rules 2021.”
Taylor had won his first-round match against Oskar Lukasiak but news of his failed drugs test and suspension was released before his scheduled second-round match against Jonny Clayton.
As a result of this finding, Taylor will forfeit his £25,000 prize money earned at the World Championship and move down the ranking list. This also meant that he lost his Tour Card as it meant he dropped down to 68th spot on the Order of Merit and outside the top 64 needed to stay on tour. He also was ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.
Taylor later posted on Facebook to say he was "sincerely sorry" for his actions, that his mental health had been affected by a number of personal traumas and that he would be "getting the help" he needed.