With pictures of Andy Murray's newly toned torso splashed all over this weekends newspapers, there was surely no sharper contrast than with newly crowned BDO darts champion Martin 'Wolfie' Adams. And while none will question the legitimacy of tennis as a sport, debate still rages over whether the chucking of small bits of metal at cork should fall into the same category. Most dictionaries defines 'sport' as; 'an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.'

So does darts fit into this definition? This article explores the characteristics of other individual sports such as golf or tennis to see whether Martin Adams can be considered a top sportsman alongside Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

Does darts involve tactics?
In conventional 501 darts the tactics between players rarely alter between players. All will aim to compile maximum 180 scores per go and most favour 'checking out' on double 20 or 16. It can be a case of the player playing the board rather than his opponent.


Do you need 'ability' to play darts?
Yes. Anyone who has gone to the local pub and decided it would be a good idea dust off the old darts will know how difficult it is to even hit the board. Darts requires great hand-eye coordination and consistency of throw. The treble 20 bed, which is the optimum target of all players, is no bigger than a cigarette end so accuracy is needed. All darts players also have incredible mental arithmetic, the game is impossible without it.


Any specialized equipment?
Not really. Where as golfers and tennis players have a plethora of specialized equipment and clothing to chose from, the darts player only requires three pointy bits of tungsten and a large bowling shirt (nickname stitched onto the back optional).


Can darts be 'perfected' like other sports?
Yes. There is a massive difference between the very good and the very ordinary players. Like all sports there is a 'holy grail', like snooker's 147 break or golf's 'hole-in-one'. In darts it is known as the 'nine-dart finish', the minimum number of throws required to win a leg of 501. Although players will achieve this time and again in practice, getting a nine-dart finish in competition is incredibly rare.


Is it a spectator sport?
Absolutely. Darts is fast-paced and played in a frenetic atmosphere. Like all sports there are moments of genious and tension; one only needs to look at the previous PDO and PDC world finals in which both matches were decided in sudden death sets.


Is physical prowess required?
The only sport where a pint of beer is good preparation (only joking). The 2004 PDO champion Andy Fordham has weighed as much as 30 stones and famously collapsed on stage during one match. Legend Phil Taylor recently stated that he is going to get into shape and looking at the rest of the field they would do well to follow his lead.


What about mental toughness?
You bet. The two world championships are conducted in extremely hostile environments compared to the relative peace of the tennis court or golf course. The masses cram into pub-like venues and scream on their favourite players while getting intoxicated in the meantime, while players stand on stage under the glare of TV cameras and spotlights. The result is a smoky, hot and noisy environment and only the mentally tough can stop this affecting their game. Given that players cannot impact directly in their opponents game physically, unlike tennis, it can get incredibly frustrating as players can lose without playing badly.


Is there such thing as a 'professional' darts player?
To a certain extent. With prize money up to £100,000 for winning world championships and lucrative 'exhibitions', the very best players can sustain themselves solely off playing darts. However many of the players do have secondary incomes as the game is not as commercially lucrative as other sports. Hours of practice is required by all players to maintain high performance levels which adds an element of 'professionalism' to darts.


Is it a worldwide game?
Increasingly so. The game invented by bored English archers is now played across Europe, North America and Asia, with a reported 100 million people watching the 2006 PDC final. Like snooker, the core of the game's best players are based in Britain, darts is on the verge of becoming the national sport of Holland, while Australia and Canada have produced past world champions.


The verdict?
Darts has most of the ingredients to be considered a sport like any other. Yes the players are a little overweight and the game rather simplistic, but that is the beauty of it, normal people playing a game that all normal people can have a go at; no WAGs or big egos. The game at the highest level is great entertainment so take the opportunity to watch these gladiators fight it out next year.

Do you think darts should be classed as a sport? Send your views to Sportingo.