China has become a global leader in snooker in the last decade. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has worked to promote snooker in China. China is home of more than 50,000,000 snooker players, making it the biggest snooker-playing country in the globe. The Chinese have yet to win a world championship. As the sport grows in popularity, it is likely that there will be more Chinese snooker players.
Chinese snooker champions are revered in China. Many thousands gather to see tournaments. They are treated like A-list celebrities, receive champagne receptions and red carpet entry. As the popularity of the sport grows, more and more young players are emerging. Tian pengfei as well as Zhang Jiankang are some of 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 in a 10-year suspension. WPBSA is also investigating allegations of match-fixing for betting purposes.
While no specific players have been banned, the suspensions cast a shadow over 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 is the 2021 Masters champion, and is the most prominent name in the investigation. He was to take part in a World Snooker Tour tournament next month. After drawing against Mark Williams in round one, he was disqualified. Although he was tipped to be the first Chinese player to win a world championship, his comment on the ongoing investigation has been limited.
Another Chinese player, Zhao Xintong, is suspended from the World Snooker Tour. He was the world's number one player earlier this season. 1 player, and is regarded as one of the best in the sport. He is now being investigated as part a global probe into match fixing.
Other Chinese players that have been investigated include former world no. Liang Wenbo (suspended in October) was another Chinese player under investigation. Numerous other Chinese athletes were also punished for alleged 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. There are even more tournaments 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 & Ding Junihui are currently China's top two players. Ding has been awarded many ranking titles, and he is well-known in China. Ding said that he wants to win the World Championship even though he had not won one.