Snooker’s global governing body has suspended two more high-profile Chinese players, including a former UK Championship winner, as part of a probe into alleged match-fixing.
(Bloomberg) — Snooker’s global governing body has suspended two more high-profile Chinese players, including a former UK Championship winner, as part of a probe into alleged match-fixing.
Zhao Xintong, who won the British title in 2021 and is currently ranked ninth in the world, and 82nd-ranked Zhang Jiankang have been banned from attending or competing on the World Snooker Tour with immediate effect, according to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. That brings the number of Chinese players who have been suspended since October to 10.
A statement from the WPBSA said the suspensions are “part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of manipulating the outcome of matches.” It added that it believes the investigation will be finished soon and potential charges could be made.”
China has been a rising powerhouse in snooker in the last decade, with players climbing the global ranks. The current probe is one of the biggest the sport has seen, but it’s not the first time Chinese players have been caught up in scandal. In 2018, Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng were given lengthy bans for match fixing.
The other Chinese players who have been suspended recently are Yan Bingtao, who was tipped to be China’s first World Champion after a Masters win in 2021, Liang Wenbo, who won the English Open in 2016, as well as Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu and Chen Zifan.
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