Snooker champ whose buddies had been banned for all times returning after 20 months
A former major tournament winner is set to make a snooker comeback after being sidelined for 20 months for his part in a match-fixing scandal.
Zhao Xintong, who clinched the UK Championship in 2021, was among 10 Chinese players hit with bans last year. The 27-year-old wasn’t found to have thrown any matches himself but admitted to being party to another player fixing two matches and placing bets on games. After initially facing a two-and-a-half-year ban, Zhao’s sentence was trimmed to one year and eight months following his early admissions and guilty plea.
Zhao received the smallest sanction handed out by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association following the sport’s biggest-ever match-fixing investigation. Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were banned from snooker for life while Lu Ning was suspended for five years and four months.
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Liang was found to have fixed or been a party to fix five snooker matches between July 24 and September 28, 2022 and to have solicited, induced, enticed, persuaded, encouraged, or facilitated players to fix nine matches between July 24 and December 13, 2022. Li was found to have fixed or was a party to fix five snooker matches between July 24 and September 29, 2022.
At the time, World Snooker (WST) boss Steve Dawson insisted that the sport must “stamp out” corruption, saying: “As tour organisers we have that responsibility to our fans and players.”
(Image: PA)
He also stressed the need for the WPBSA’s disciplinary commission to be clear-cut and firm in rooting out corruption, ensuring players who step out of line face severe consequences. He added: “WPBSA is a world leader in terms of their sophisticated tracking systems, and the manner in which they have pursued this matter to its conclusion proves their determination to stamp out corruption.
“The message to players is clear: if you cheat, you will get caught, and punished severely. Player education is crucial so that they are aware of the pitfalls, and the focus is on prevention rather than cure.
“WPBSA has a strong focus on educating, supporting and protecting players, and offering them confidential lines of communication if they have any concerns or information. Together, we will move forward with exciting plans for future growth.”
