China has been a rising force in the world of Snooker for the past ten years. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association has tried to improve the sport in China. China has more than 50 million players of snooker, making it one of the top snooker countries in the world. However, there has not been a Chinese world championship winner. It is expected that the number of Chinese snooker players will increase rapidly as the sport becomes more popular.
Chinese snooker champions are revered in China. Tournaments are watched by thousands of people. They are treated like celebrities and get champagne receptions. As the popularity of the sport grows, more and more young players are emerging. Tian Pegfei (left) and Zhang Jiankang (right) are among the younger players.
Despite the fact that China has become the dominant force in snooker in the past decade, the sport has been hit by another scandal. Yu Delu, a former professional player was suspended in December for match fixing. Yu is currently under a 10-year ban. WPBSA are also investigating match-fixing allegations made for betting purposes.
Although there have not been any bans on specific players, they cast a shadow over this sport. There are only 12 Chinese players in the top 64 of 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. The CBSA is also investigating allegations that Liang Wenbo Lu Ning and Chang Bingyu participated in match-fixing.
Yan Bingtao (the 2021 Masters champion) is however the most important name in the investigation. He was supposed to play in the World Snooker Tour's next month event. However, he was disqualified after being drew against Mark Williams in the first round. While he was expected to become the first Chinese player ever to win a championship in the world, his comment regarding the ongoing investigation is limited.
Zhao Xintong is another Chinese player who has been suspended from the World Snooker Tour. He was the world's number one player earlier this season. He is considered one of the top players in the game. However, he is currently being investigated as part the global probe into match-fixing.
The investigation also included former world no. Liang Wenbo was suspended in October. Numerous other Chinese athletes were also punished for alleged cheating. These are just a handful of players in China, compared with the many millions of fans who follow the sport.
However, the World Tour features a large number Chinese players. This shows that the game has gained widespread popularity in China. In fact, there are more tournaments being held in China.
To be able to compete with the UK, however, China has much to learn. Younger Chinese players are making their mark on the professional snooker circuit by participating in more tournaments.
Zhao Xintong is currently the highest-ranking Chinese player in the world, followed by Ding Junhui. Ding has won numerous ranking titles, and he has an enormous following in China. Ding expressed his desire to win the World Championship, even though he did not win a championship.