Darts in Assam

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Wikipedia — Darts in India, Nitin Kumar, The National — Nitin Kumar profile, ESPN, Sky Sports — 2026 PDC World Darts Championship coverage, Sportskeeda — Nitin Kumar Mongolia Open win. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: 19th century England
Category: Precision
Olympic discipline: No
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 2

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: Darts Federation of India
Ministry recognition: Not currently verified
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: Not currently verified
Olympic status: Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Darts is listed on SportSupport in the precision category. Its recorded origin is 19th century England. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list Darts Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Darts has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through Darts Federation of India may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for darts athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to darts.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given darts event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which darts events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

2 profiles

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Standard darts is played on a 451mm bristle board hung with the bullseye 1.73m from the floor, thrown from an oche 2.37m away. Each visit consists of three darts; the outer ring doubles a segment's value and the inner ring trebles it, with the outer bull scoring 25 and the bullseye 50 — a maximum visit of 180 comes from three treble 20s. The standard format is 501 straight-in, double-out: players race from 501 to exactly zero and must finish on a double or the bullseye, and a throw that busts the score (goes below zero or leaves one) scores nothing for that visit. Matches are decided in legs, often grouped into sets, and the throw alternates each leg. Darts must remain in the board to count, and any dart that bounces out or misses is not re-thrown.

Authoritative rulebook: Darts Federation of India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across precision sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced darts squad list.

Rifle / pistol events
10m air, 25m and 50m disciplines shot to an electronic target.
Shotgun events
Trap and skeet — moving clay targets scored on hits.
Archery — recurve & compound
Ranking round and head-to-head elimination matches.
Team events
Three-athlete team formats contested at Asian, Commonwealth, World and Olympic level.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in darts at a federation-recognised event.

Bristle dartboard (451mm / 18-inch) with a rotating or fixed number ring
Steel-tip darts up to 50g and 300mm, with flights and stems (soft-tip darts for electronic boards)
Oche or throw-line marker set at 2.37m from the board face
Board mounting surround and backing to protect the wall
Even, glare-free lighting rig over the board
Scoreboard or electronic scoring, plus spare flights, stems and a point sharpener

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Darts Federation of India

Darts Federation of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Darts, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement of current recognition — recognition is granted year by year.

Origin: 19th century England
Olympic: No
Paralympic: No
Category: Precision

All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in darts.

Domestic darts circuit
Darts in India is overseen by two organizations — the Indian Darts Council (IDC) and the All India Darts Association (AIDA). Events include the Goa National Rankings Darts Championship (since 2022), the UP Darts Sports Championship (6th edition, 2023, 10 teams), and the Hornbill Darts Masters, recognized by IDC as a National Ranking Event.
Darts Premier League
An IPL-style 9-franchise tournament that mandates three women per team — a distinctive format innovation aimed at growing the sport's visibility in India.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in darts.

PDC World Darts Championship
Nitin Kumar made history on 14 December 2025, becoming the first Indian ever to win a match at the tournament — defeating Richard Veenstra 3-2 at Alexandra Palace on his fifth appearance, after four previous first-round exits — before losing to world No. 4 Stephen Bunting in the second round.
WDF World Cup / PDC World Cup of Darts
India has fielded teams at these events since 2011.
WDF ranking events
Kumar won the 2024 Mongolia Open, his first WDF title, beating Paul Lim in the semi-final and Alain Abiabi in the final.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for darts. The national championship under Darts Federation of India remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised darts athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for darts maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in darts — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

Nitin Kumar ('The Royal Bengal') is India's clear trailblazer — a Dubai-based marketing professional who balances an 8-9 hour workday with nightly practice and local league matches
His historic Alexandra Palace win prompted Indian media comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar and his own declaration that he's 'opened the floodgates to a billion' potential Indian darts players
Darts remains a genuinely emerging sport in India, with growth constrained by limited infrastructure and media coverage compared to more established sports
The Darts Premier League's franchise format and increasing PDC Asian Tour exposure are seen as key growth levers; playing pathway through IDC/AIDA state ranking events

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No darts academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

FAQs

Common questions about darts in India.

Who governs Darts in India?▾

We list Darts Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for Darts, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Darts an Olympic sport?▾

No, Darts is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Darts in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under Darts Federation of India. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Darts athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Darts is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Darts does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Darts in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Darts in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.