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Mike Chan

Tom Bell

A curious footnote to Zhao Xintong’s triumph at the World Snooker Championship on Monday is that he remains banned from playing in China.
He is forbidden to appear at events there, despite being free to compete in – and win – the world’s biggest tournaments.
The origins lie in 2023, when Zhao was among 10 Chinese players banned in the sport’s biggest match-fixing scandal.
An investigation found he had not fixed matches, but he was handed a global suspension of 30 months, reduced to 20 months, after accepting he had been a party to another player fixing two matches, and had bet on matches himself.
The Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) then announced domestic bans that for some players outlasted the global ones – equating to the original punishments before they were reduced for pleading guilty. Zhao was given a 30-month sanction in China.

Global chiefs cleared Zhao to resume playing at the end of his 20-month ban in September 2024, and he began competing on the Q Tour, the amateur circuit beneath the elite World Snooker Tour.
But the CBSA’s suspension still ran until July 1, 2025, preventing Zhao taking part in events that have since been held on home soil.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said in a statement last September that the CBSA had “confirmed that their sanction only applies to mainland China”.
When Zhao reached the world final last weekend, Chinese media noted that the CBSA did not acknowledge it but displayed a 2022 notice stating “strictly investigating gambling and match-fixing and strengthening self-discipline”.
Chinese media said the association made contact via third parties to congratulate the 28-year-old on becoming the country’s first men’s world champion.
There were calls from fans for the CBSA to lift its suspension.
“[Global authorities] already reduced the sentence, so why should the CBSA increase it?” read one social media comment. “They put themselves in such embarrassment.”
Others argued Zhao should be shown leniency.
“The nature of his [wrongdoing] was indeed different and he deserves forgiveness,” one person said, contrasting Zhao with other banned players who had actually fixed matches.
“Everyone makes mistakes or even commits crimes,” another posted. “If they’re already punished, realised their mistakes and corrected them, there’s no need to keep holding on to it. After all, a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold.”
Following his victory on Monday, Zhao thanked the CBSA, saying he had practised at its base for periods during his global ban.
Zhao is expected to be allowed to play in China next season. The calendar is not yet confirmed, but the Shanghai Masters, Xian Grand Prix, Wuhan Open and International Championship were last year held in July, August, October and November respectively.


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Sport

China

Zhao is prohibited from taking part in events in mainland China even after becoming his country’s first world champion


Zhao is prohibited from taking part in events in mainland China even after becoming his country’s first world champion.


World Snooker Championship

Corruption in China

Why new world snooker champion Zhao Xintong cannot play in China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zhao is prohibited from taking part in events in mainland China even after becoming his country’s first world champion

Zhao is prohibited from taking part in events in mainland China even after becoming his country’s first world champion