≌ Disability Darts

≌ Disability and Wheelchair Darts

Innovation in the sport of darts has changed little over the past 50 years and the innovation has been led by the dartboard and dart manufacturers. The sport as most know is played in pubs and clubs across the world but until recently it hasn’t been very user-friendly to any disabled player.

Disability comes in many forms but the ability to stand unaided for some disabled players is either impossible or they are at a huge disadvantage against an able player. However, Australian Russ Strobel has turned his attention to wheelchair users and wanted to make the sport that both disabled and able players could compete on an even level.

In 2010 Russ submitted to the Darts Australia a new recommended dartboard height for Wheelchair users. The height Russ has come up with is 137cm to the centre Bull. The height was based on the perceived origins of the standard hanging height of the standard clock dartboard. It is said the average height of a man in the 1920’s was 5’8” (average height of an Englishman). This height statistic was used to hang dartboards in pubs and clubs. The measurement of 5’ 8” has been used to hang dartboards until the UK entered the common European market and at this stage official dartboards, measurements are made using the metric equivalent.

The 5’8” height from the floor to the centre bull became 1.73M / 173cm. Russ took this analogy and worked out what the height a man of 5’8” (173cm) be sitting in a wheelchair. His exact figure came out to be 136.5cm however as Russ explains the addition of 0.5cm would make the recommended wheelchair dartboard height easy to remember 137cm (wheelchair) - 173cm (Standard). I think this minor adjustment makes it easier to recall.

Below is Russ Strobel’s Wildfire 137 Dart Frame.

(The only additional ruling to wheelchair darts is that both rear wheels of the chair must be behind the oche throwing line. The chair can be horizontal to the board as some players may prefer this.)

 

 

The aim Russ has in mind is for wheelchair users to be able to compete alongside an able body player so Russ has come up with a unique dartboard stand that rotates. A dartboard is mounted on both sides of the rotating panel allowing for quick and easy adjustment between players throws. On one side a dartboard is hung at the conventional height of 173cm and on the other 137cm. This pioneering approach certainly gets get my seal of approval.

Russ initially got the approval of a new dartboard height for a wheelchair user from Australian Darts Organisations and In October 2012 Russ met with the World Darts Federation in Hull (England, UK) to gain their seal of approval for the new height. Russ was pleased to report that after several years of campaigning for the lowered board height that approval had been given initially by the WDF and will consequently open the sport of darts to players with disability in the now 70 member countries affiliated with the WDF.

Darts has always been the sport you can play across gender and age difference also hasn’t posed a problem nor should disability. To set up a board at a different height should not cause tournament sponsors an issue and I personally believe this can only be good for the sport.

 

 

 

 

WDDA Masters 2014 - 2018 / World Championship 2020 -

(WDDA) Masters / World Championship

The Winmau WDDA World Masters (Disability Championship) first event took place in 2014 as a demonstration event following a long campaign to review the dartboard height for wheelchair players. The World Disability Darts Association (WDDA) finally gained approval from the WDF and BDO for the reduce dartboard height for Wheelchair players, 137cm to the centre of the bullseye the rest is now history.

The Disability final is best of 5 legs played on a dual board set-up designed explicitly, so a wheelchair player and a standing player are competing directly against one another.

This event has now been replaced with the WDDA World Championships (Sponsored by Winmau). The WDDA Masters formed part of the sponsored Winmau (BDO) Masters. However, in 2019 the BDO gained a new sponsor for the Master and dartboards used across their events and the disability event was not part of the agenda. Winmau in their wisdom, moved the WDDA Master to the Netherlands and renamed the WDDA masters to the WDDA World Championships. I have kept the event history as one event because the qualifying path is the same.

This event has now been replaced with the WDDA World Championships (Sponsored by Winmau)

 

2023

My apologies to regular readers as regards the currency of available information, events and results.

I am informed that two major organisations now run the disability darts, the WDDA and ParaDarts.

Despite my best efforts to maintain the historical results for you to see, I am unable to provide further results in this sector of darts. I have tried contacting the disabled darts organisations and the main sponsor of the WDDA World Championships. The sponsor doesn't know the results, so they forwarded my enquiry to the disability darts organisation, and I have received no reply.

The two separate associations, WDDA / ParaDarts, run their own events. It is still unclear to me who belongs to which association or if any belong to both. The original WDDA website has gone, but the revised site hasn't been updated for over a year at the time of publishing this statement. It doesn't feature historical results, but there may be some in-date information for disability players to read.

I have supported disability darts from day one. However, due to the difficulties obtaining information, I will not continue to  maintain this section.

 

2024

Although I do not receive regular updates from the disability darts community, I can see several disability dart websites have now been removed from the internet, including the WDDA. World Para Darts now seems to have taken its place and is affiliated with the WDF. I can no longer find the British, English, Welsh or Scottish disability websites that once existed. However, in some cases, domains change, and others may filter their way through.

Regarding Para Darts / Disutility Darts, I will no longer be publishing major event winners as I have done. However, if you are interested in these events, I suggest you look at the World Para Darts Website.

 

The last event records seem like a one-off event. The PDC / WDDA World Matchplay 2022

PDC / WDDA World Matchplay

WDDA World Matchplay Ladies Final
Debbie McBride 2-0 Avril Murphy Patrick

WDDA World Matchplay Classic Final
Paul Hampton 2-1 Davie Patterson

WDDA World Matchplay Compris Final
Jordon Sheppard 2-1 Robert Sutherland

 

 

WDDA World Masters 2014 -2018 / World Championships 2020 - Past Champions

The Masters was not played in 2019

Year	Winner	Legs		Legs	Runner-up
2020	Kwanghee Cho	3	-	1	Mike Callaghan
2018	Michael Davis	3	-	1	Ricky Chilton
2017	Kevin Turner	3	-	1	Phil Lees
2016	Vincent D'Hondt	3	-	0	Richard Green
2015	Vincent D'Hondt	3	-	0	Ricky Chilton
2014	Ricky Chilton	3	-	2	Phil Lees

 

 

WDDA Winmau World Team Cup Champions, Runners-up and Bronze Medallist

Year	Winner	Legs	-	Legs	Runner-up	Joint third	Joint third
2022	Belguim  (A)	9	-	1	France	Netherlands	Hungary
2021	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2020	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2019	England  (A)	9	-	7	Wales	Netherlands	Belgium

 

WDDA Winmau World Singles Cup - Wheelchair

Year	Winner	Legs		Legs	Runner-up
2022	Vincent D'Hondt	4	-	1	Ricky Chilton
2021	-	-	-	-	-
2020	-	-	-	-	-
2019	Vincent D'Hondt	4	-	1	Ricky Chilton

 

WDDA Winmau World Singles Cup - LadiesWheelchair

Year	Winner	Legs		Legs	Runner-up
2022	Chole Francq	2	-	1	Chanine Vriezen

 

WDDA Winmau World Singles Cup - Standing

Year	Winner	Legs		Legs	Runner-up
2022	Evi Foulon	4	-	1	Paul Gelder
2021	-	-	-	-	-
2020	-	-	-	-	-
2019	Pete Bramley	3	-	0	Jackie Goethals

 

WDDA Winmau World Singles Cup - Ladies Standing

Year	Winner	Legs		Legs	Runner-up
2022	Gabby Wehrt	3	-	1	Bianka Stauch

Pairs events also took place at the World Trophy Not recorded here.

 

 

 

World Para Darts

The World Para Darts s growing at a fast rate, and new affiliated Countries are joining all the time. This means there will be more tournaments for disabled players to compete in around the World. For current information and tournament details in the Country, you may reside contact the World Para Darts

 

World Para Darts : World Para Darts

 

 

 

Impairment Classification and Eligibility for World Para Darts Tournaments, please visit the World Para Darts Website

 

 

In 2014 Winmau introduced Disability Word Master Championship. This first event was a demonstration only and was won by Ricky Chilton he beat Phil Lees 3 – 2

≌ Pariltas Quad Equitas (“Fairness and Equality") - World Disability Darts Association (2014)

Hopefully, the sport will grow into more avenues.

 

View the Winmau Disability World Masters Final via YouTube

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The above photos were taken at the Winmau Disability Masters 2014. They demonstrate the Wildfire Wildfire Dartboard Frame Equipment in use.

In Pictures the finalists Ricky Chilton and Phil Less, Referee Richard Ashdown, Marketing Director Ian Flack, WDDA Founder Russ Strobel and Former BDO World Champion Any Fordham

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Thanks to Russ Strobel and Sarah Smale for the use of some of their photos.