Darts players are putting down their pints and stubbing out their fags in an effort to gain Olympic status for their sport.
A darts school of excellence is being set up in Hull to help boost the image of a sport that is played by 7 million people in Britain and could yet qualify as an Olympic event in time for the 2012 games.
Some are appalled by the prospect. "It's hard to imagine putting forward a sport in which you can drink beer while doing it", Tom McNab, a former British Athletics director of coaching, said.
But is athletics - or any other sport - in any position to take the moral high ground on stimulants consumed by its participants?
And is darts any less skilful than archery, curling and shooting? All of these are well-established Olympic sports, but darts is much more exciting to watch. More recently, ludicrously silly sports have gained Olympic status. Anyone for beach volleyball, or that stupid skiing race on bumpy snow?
So why not darts?
