China has become a major player in snooker over the past decade. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has worked to promote snooker in China. China is the largest country that plays snooker and has over 50 million players. However, there has not been a Chinese world championship winner. As the sport becomes more popular, it is anticipated that the number Chinese snooker player will rise rapidly.
Chinese snooker players are considered icons in their country. Every tournament attracts thousands of spectators. They are treated like celebrities and get champagne receptions. More and more young athletes are joining the sport as it grows in popularity. Tian Pengfei, Zhang Jiankang and Zhang Jiankang are two of the most popular 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 serving a 10-year ban. WPBSA are also investigating match-fixing allegations made for betting purposes.
Although no players were banned, suspensions have cast a shadow on the sport. Only 12 Chinese athletes are in the top 64. That number has been reduced to 11 after Zhao Xintong and Li Hang were added to the suspension list. The CBSA is also investigating allegations that Liang Wenbo Lu Ning and Chang Bingyu participated in 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. After drawing against Mark Williams in round one, he was disqualified. He was widely expected to be the first Chinese player in a world championship. However, his comments on the ongoing investigation have been limited.
Another Chinese player, Zhao Xintong, is suspended from the World Snooker Tour. Earlier this season, he was ranked as the world's no. He is the world's number one player and is highly regarded in the sport. However, he is currently being investigated as part the global probe into match-fixing.
Former world number one Chinese player has been under investigation. Liang Wenbo, who had been suspended in October, was also under investigation. Many other Chinese players have been disciplined for alleged abuse or cheating. These are a small number compared to the hundreds of millions of fans who have followed the sport in China.
Nevertheless, the fact that a large number of Chinese players are on the World Tour shows that the game is gaining widespread popularity in China. The country is hosting more tournaments.
The country still has a lot of work to do before it can be as successful as 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 & Ding Junihui are currently China's top two players. Ding has won numerous ranking titles, and he has an enormous following in China. Ding, even though he hasn't won a World Championship, stated that he would like the World Championship.