China has been a rising force in the world of Snooker for the past ten years. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association has been trying to help the sport in China. China is the largest country that plays snooker and has over 50 million players. However, the Chinese have not yet had a world championship winner. As the sport grows in popularity, it is likely that there will be more Chinese snooker players.
Chinese snooker players are considered icons in their country. There are thousands of people who gather to watch the tournaments. They are treated like A-list celebrities, receive champagne receptions and red carpet entry. As the popularity of the sport grows, more and more young players are emerging. Tian Pengfei, Zhang Jiankang and Zhang Jiankang are two of the most popular younger players.
Despite China having become the leading force in snooker over recent years, another scandal has rocked this sport. Yu Delu, a former professional player was suspended in December for match fixing. Yu is currently in a 10-year suspension. WPBSA is also investigating allegations of match-fixing for betting purposes.
Although there have not been any bans on specific players, they cast a shadow over this sport. There are 12 Chinese players among the 64 top-ranked athletes in the world. After Zhao Xintong's suspension and Li Hang's addition, the number of Chinese players in the top 64 has fallen to 11. Further, the CBSA is investigating whether Chang Bingyu and Lu Ning were involved match-fixing.
Yan Bingtao (2021 Masters) is the biggest name in this investigation. He was due to participate in the next World Snooker Tour event. However, he was disqualified after being drew against Mark Williams in the first round. He was widely expected to be the first Chinese player in a world championship. However, his comments on the ongoing investigation have been limited.
Zhao Xintong from China has been removed from the World Snooker Tour. He was the world's number one player earlier this season. He is considered to be the best player in the sport. But now, he is being investigated as part of a global probe into match-fixing.
Another Chinese player that has been investigated is the former world no. Liang Wenbo (suspended in October) was another Chinese player under investigation. Other Chinese players were also disciplined for cheating and abuse. These are a small number compared to the hundreds of millions of fans who have followed the sport in China.
However, the World Tour features a large number Chinese players. This shows that the game has gained widespread popularity in China. The country is hosting more tournaments.
To be able to compete with the UK, however, China has much to learn. With more tournaments being staged, more young Chinese players are making their way onto the professional snooker scene.
Zhao Xintong & Ding Junhui are currently the top-ranked Chinese players in the entire world. Ding has many ranking titles and has a huge following in China. Ding, even though he hasn't won a World Championship, stated that he would like the World Championship.