I WAS very interested by your story about the BDO World Darts Championship titled Chairmen of the board (January 16). We watched the BDO tournament on TV a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the competition, from the skill and consistency of the top play

I WAS very interested by your story about the BDO World Darts Championship titled "Chairmen of the board" (January 16).

We watched the BDO tournament on TV a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the competition, from the skill and consistency of the top players, such as Mark Webster and Martin 'Wolfie' Adams, to the entertainment value of seeing the underdog qualifier Glenn Moody winning through to the second round.

I think that darts is most definitely a sport: it is an activity that involves physical exertion and skill, is governed by a set of rules and played competitively.

Therefore, it can proudly stand up and be counted as a sport in much the same way football, rugby, tennis and golf are.

However, it is not recognised as a sport by the Government or by the International Olympic Committee, which is hampering its chances of becoming an Olympic sport.

My wife and I both play competitive minigolf, which is another sport that is viewed in much the same way as darts.

We are both members of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) www.minigolf.org.uk, the governing body for minigolf sport, including crazy golf and adventure golf and we play in a number of tournaments organised around the UK, including the British Open and the World Crazy Golf Championships.

Internationally, minigolf has its own worldwide governing body, the World Minigolf sport Federation (WMF), which in turn is a member of AGFIS (the overarching federation of world governing bodies of non-Olympic sports).

World and European Minigolf Championships are held in alternate years, but the UK remains one of the few European countries where the sport is not recognised by the government as being distinct from golf.

Unlike in golf, players use only one club - a rubber-headed putter - but select a different specialist minigolf ball with which to play each hole.

The BMGA was formed in 1998 and became a member of the World Minigolf Federation (WMF) in 1999. The governing bodies of golf, including the English Golf Union and the English Ladies' Golf Association, do not organise or promote minigolf, nor is there any reason why they should, given the major differences between the two sports.

I think that fun, entertaining and competitive sports like darts and minigolf should definitely receive more recognition from sport's governing bodies in the UK in order to help their cause in improving their chances of developing and being able to compete on a par in international competitions.

RICHARD GOTTFRIED, Ranked 34th best minigolfer in Great Britain, Luton