Darts star Dom Taylor suspended from World Championship after drugs test; opens up on trauma in personal post

Darts player Dom Taylor has been expelled from the World Championship after an adverse analytical finding following a test conducted on December 14, triggering a suspension from all events governed by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA). The Bristol-born player, ranked world No. 65, had just defeated Oskar Lukasiak 3-0 in the first round at Alexandra Palace and was scheduled to meet Jonny Clayton in the second round when the positive result was disclosed.

The PDC said the matter will be handled under the DRA anti-doping rules and that Taylor is suspended from participating in any DRA-regulated events with immediate effect pending a disciplinary process. The development comes after Taylor previously served a one-month ban for drugs ahead of last year’s World Championship; the initial sanction was two years, but it was reduced to three months because the substances detected were not performance-enhancing and had been taken out of competition, before this latest case led to a further reduction to one year contingent on completing a Substance of Abuse treatment program.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Taylor, nicknamed The Tower, apologized to family, friends, sponsors, management, and fans. "The first thing I need to say is sorry!!" he wrote, adding: "I'm sorry to every single one of my family, friends, sponsors, management team and most important of all, you guys. All my fans, be it outside of darts or inside of darts." He continued: "Also, I need to apologise for blatant lying to you all in my interview after my win against Oskar last week, as I have been lying to myself and everyone around me."

Taylor described a sequence of personal traumas from his early life that he said contributed to his struggles, including finding his deceased nan in bed at age 12, followed by a brother’s heart attack and a prolonged period of non-responsiveness, and the death of a close friend from a brain tumour. He said counselling and help from his parents helped at the time, but he later reflected that he should have sought more. "I have let many people down to say the least but most importantly I've let down four main people, my two daughters and my two biggest fans," he wrote, adding that the anniversary of his daughter’s death this year hit him hard and he began using substances again to cope with pain.

"My parents... got me counselling and help at the time but in hindsight I should have had more than just that little bit," Taylor wrote. "I know everyone, including my dad and family, are very upset and disappointed in me. The anniversary of my daughter's death this year hit me very hard, too, and that's when I started struggling with my mental health again, and turned back to substances to allow my body and head cope with things." He said he would seek help after Christmas and reflected that he should have spoken to someone sooner.

"I now know that I should have spoken to someone, be it my management, family or the PDPA. I will be back to prove. I am sorry to you all," he concluded. After defeating Lukasiak in the first round, Taylor had been asked about the difficulty of returning to competition amid past bans. "Massively, biggest let down of my life," he said, adding: "But I've rebounded back, and here we are. I wasn't speaking to anyone, keeping myself to myself and just practising. If I didn't believe I was going to walk home with a million pounds, I wouldn't be here."

The World Championship match and Taylor's ban are part of a broader anti-doping process underway for the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The DRA said the matter will proceed through its disciplinary channels, with no further comment until the process concludes.