Could Prosthesis Use Provide a Competitive Advantage in Darts?

Abstract

Competitive darts has become increasingly popular over the past few decades, and efforts have been made to have the game recognized as an Olympic sport in the future. The raised profile of the sport and the associated rewards bring up new challenges for the integrity of the game, as athletes are incentivized to exploit rule ambiguities in order to gain competitive advantages. In this research, it was hypothesized that uneven leg lengths and weights, which are comparatively easily realizable in prosthetic limbs, allow players to lean closer to the target and thus improve their throwing accuracy. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of 13 able-bodied subjects who participated in the study, with three sets of throwing trials; one to establish the baseline and two with a longer and heavier trailing leg, respectively. The findings suggest that these modifications are indeed beneficial, resulting in significantly shorter throwing distances and average accuracy improvements of up to 11%. The debate about the potential competitive advantages of prosthesis-wearing Paralympic athletes over their able-bodied peers previously focused on short track running events, where rules have been established that govern the allowable geometry and configuration of sprint prostheses. It appears that comparable regulations should be considered for darts competitions, in order to ensure fair conditions for all participants.