China has become a global leader in snooker in the last decade. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association tries to help China's snooker. China has more than 50 million players of snooker, making it one of the top snooker countries in the world. But, China has yet to host a world champion. As the sport becomes more popular, it is anticipated that the number Chinese snooker player will rise rapidly.
Chinese snooker stars are revered as icons in China. Many thousands gather to see tournaments. They are treated as celebrities and have red carpet entries. Champagne receptions are also arranged. The sport is becoming more popular and more players are coming up. Tian Pegfei (left) and Zhang Jiankang (right) are among the younger players.
Despite China being the world's largest snooker player in the last decade, another scandal has rocked the sport. Yu Delu, a former professional player, was banned on 1/12 for match-fixing. Yu is currently on a 10-year ban. WPBSA is also looking into match-fixing allegations to bet purposes.
While there are no bans for specific players, these suspensions cast a shadow upon the 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. Moreover, the CBSA is investigating allegations that Liang Wenbo, Lu Ning and Chang Bingyu were involved in match-fixing.
Yan Bingtao is the 2021 Masters champion, and is the most prominent name in the investigation. He was supposed to play in the World Snooker Tour's next month event. He was eliminated after he drew with Mark Williams in the first round. Although he was tipped to be the first Chinese player to win a world championship, his comment on the ongoing investigation has been limited.
Zhao Xintong of China is also suspended from this year's World Snooker Tour. He was the world's number one player earlier this season. He is widely regarded as one the most talented players in the sport. But now, he is being investigated as part of a global probe into match-fixing.
Former world number one Chinese player has been under investigation. Liang Wenbo was suspended in October. Other Chinese players were also disciplined for cheating and abuse. These are only a few of the hundreds of millions who have been following the sport in China.
However, the World Tour attracts a lot of Chinese players. There are even more tournaments in China.
To be able to compete with the UK, however, China has much to learn. There are more tournaments in China, and more Chinese players are getting into professional snooker.
Zhao Xintong & Ding Junihui are currently China's top two players. Ding has won numerous ranking titles, and he has an enormous following in China. Ding said that he wants to win the World Championship even though he had not won one.