Snooker Champion Returns After Match-Fixing Ban
- Zhao Xintong has returned to professional snooker following a 20-month ban resulting from his involvement in a match-fixing scandal that emerged in 2023.
- The disciplinary action followed findings that Xintong was a party to another player fixing two snooker matches.
- The case involving Zhao Xintong is part of a wider series of disciplinary measures taken by snooker governing bodies to combat match-fixing.
Zhao Xintong has returned to professional snooker following a 20-month ban resulting from his involvement in a match-fixing scandal that emerged in 2023. The 28-year-old player, who previously established himself as a UK champion, had been one of 10 Chinese players caught up in the investigation.
The disciplinary action followed findings that Xintong was a party to another player fixing two snooker matches. His absence from the game served as a period of suspension before his return to competitive play.
Broader Context of Match-Fixing in Snooker
The case involving Zhao Xintong is part of a wider series of disciplinary measures taken by snooker governing bodies to combat match-fixing. Other high-profile cases have seen players face significant suspensions for influencing the outcome of matches.
Stephen Lee, a five-time ranking event winner, served a 12-year ban for match-fixing. Lee was found guilty in 2013 of influencing the outcome of seven matches between 2008 and 2009, including a defeat to Ryan Day at the 2009 World Snooker Championship.
Lee’s ban was backdated to October 2012 and expired on his 50th birthday in October 2024. Following the expiry of his suspension, Lee returned to the sport in an exhibition match in Thailand against former world number three James Wattana.
During that exhibition, Lee won the match two frames to one. He compiled a break of 46 in the first frame and secured the victory with a break of 25 in the third frame, which was decided by the colors.
Chang Bingyu has also returned to the World Snooker Tour following the conclusion of his own match-fixing ban, beginning his first season back as a professional.
Impact on Professional Standing
The return of players like Zhao Xintong and Chang Bingyu marks a transition back into the professional circuit after periods of enforced absence. For Xintong, the 20-month ban interrupted a trajectory that had already seen him achieve success as a UK champion.
The integrity of the sport remains a focal point for officials, as evidenced by the length and severity of the bans handed out to players found to have accepted payments or influenced match results.