English darts professional Dom Taylor has been dramatically expelled from the ongoing Paddy Power World Darts Championship after returning a positive drugs test, tournament organisers have confirmed.
Tournament Over After Adverse Finding
The 27-year-old, ranked 65th in the world, had successfully navigated his first-round match at Alexandra Palace, defeating Sweden's Oskar Lukasiak 3-0. He was scheduled to face Welshman Jonny Clayton in the second round on Saturday evening.
However, his campaign has been terminated with immediate effect. The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) announced on Friday that a random test conducted on 14 December had produced an 'adverse analytical finding' for Taylor. The DRA was formally notified of the result on 19 December.
Immediate Suspension and Disciplinary Process
In a statement, the DRA said: 'In line with its ongoing anti-doping procedures the PDC and DRA are conducting drug testing during the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.'
The statement continued, confirming that Dom Taylor has been suspended from all DRA-regulated events with immediate effect. The matter will now proceed to a confidential disciplinary process under the DRA's Anti-Doping Rules. The authority stated it would make no further comment until that process concludes.
As a direct consequence, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) confirmed that Jonny Clayton receives a bye and will advance automatically to the tournament's third round.
A History of Doping Violations
This incident marks a significant setback for Taylor, who has previously served a suspension for a doping violation. In November 2024, he was handed a two-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
That suspension was later reduced to three months when the substance was deemed not to be performance-enhancing. It was shortened further to just one month after Taylor agreed to complete a UK Anti-Doping approved treatment programme.
Speaking after his first-round victory last weekend, Taylor had referred to the previous ban as the 'biggest let down of my life', but added: 'But I've rebounded back, and here we are.'
The second-round action at Ally Pally continues on Saturday, with world number one and favourite Luke Littler set to play David Davies on Sunday.
