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 is home to more than 50 million snooker enthusiasts, making it the most populous snooker country. The Chinese have yet to win a world championship. 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. Every tournament attracts thousands of spectators. They are treated as celebrities and have red carpet entries. Champagne receptions are also arranged. There are more young players becoming involved in the sport, as the popularity grows. 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 (former professional player) was expelled on 1 December after being charged with match-fixing. Yu is currently in a 10-year suspension. WPBSA are also investigating match-fixing allegations made for betting purposes.
While no specific players have been banned, the suspensions cast a shadow over the sport. There are only 12 Chinese players amongst the 64 best in 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. The CBSA is also investigating allegations that Liang Wenbo Lu Ning and Chang Bingyu participated in match-fixing.
However, the biggest name in the investigation so far is Yan Bingtao, who is the 2021 Masters champion. He was scheduled to play in a World Snooker Tour event next month. He was eliminated after he drew with Mark Williams in the first round. While he was considered to be the first Chinese player at a world championship, he has not commented on the ongoing investigation.
Zhao Xintong is another Chinese player who has been suspended from the World Snooker Tour. He was the world's number one player earlier this season. He is considered to be the best player in the sport. In a global investigation into match-fixing, he now faces criminal charges.
The investigation also included former world no. Liang Wenbo was suspended in October. Other Chinese players were also disciplined for cheating and abuse. These are just a handful of players in China, compared with the many millions of fans who follow the sport.
However, the World Tour has a lot of Chinese players which shows the popularity of the game in China. In fact, there are more tournaments being held in China.
But, China still has a long way to travel before they can match the success of the UK. There are more tournaments in China, and more Chinese players are getting into professional snooker.
Zhao Xintong & Ding Junhui are currently the top-ranked Chinese players in the entire world. Ding has many ranking titles and has a huge following in China. Despite not having won a world championship, Ding has stated that he would like to win the World Championship.