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. There are over 50 million snooker players in China, making it the largest snooker playing country in the world. But, China has yet to host a world champion. 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. There are thousands of people who gather to watch the tournaments. They are treated like stars, get red carpet entrances and champagne receptions. More and more young athletes are joining the sport as it grows in popularity. Tian Pegfei (left) and Zhang Jiankang (right) are among the younger players.
Another scandal rocked snooker despite China's dominance over the sport in the past decade. 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.
While there are no bans for specific players, these suspensions cast a shadow upon the sport. Only 12 Chinese players are among the top 64 in the world. That number has been reduced to 11 after Zhao Xintong and Li Hang were added to the suspension list. Further, the CBSA is investigating whether Chang Bingyu and Lu Ning were involved match-fixing.
However, the biggest name in the investigation so far is Yan Bingtao, who is the 2021 Masters champion. 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. His prediction of being the first Chinese player to win the world championship was high, but his comments regarding the ongoing investigation are limited.
Zhao Xintong of China is also suspended from this year's World Snooker Tour. He was ranked no.1 in the world earlier in the season. He is widely regarded as one the most talented players in the sport. Now, he's being investigated in a global probe of match-fixing.
Another Chinese player that has been investigated is the former world no. 11 Liang Wenbo, who was suspended in October. Numerous other Chinese athletes were also punished for alleged cheating. These are only a few of the hundreds of millions who have been following 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. More tournaments are held in China.
However, the country has still a long way to go to reach the success of the UK. More tournaments are being held, which means that more young Chinese players are finding their way into the professional snooker scene.
Zhao Xintong (currently) and Ding Junhui (currently), are the top-ranking Chinese players worldwide. Ding has won numerous ranking titles, and he has an enormous following in China. Ding stated that even though he has not won a World Championship, he would love to.