Zhao Xintong will return to competitive action on the snooker table when he participates at Q Tour 2 in Bulgaria later this month.
It had already been expected to be the case, but it is now officially confirmed that the former UK champion will be at the tournament in Sofia from September 20th to 22nd.
Zhao will play Vilius Shulte-Ebbert in his first match back after getting caught up in the huge match-fixing scandal that rocked snooker towards the end of 2022 and into 2023.
Ten players from China were suspended from competition during the 2022/23 campaign and subsequently given bans of varying lengths from the sport following an investigation.
Liang Wenbo, a former English Open champion who reached as high as number 11 in the world rankings, and Li Hang were considered the ring leaders.
The pair received lifetime bans from snooker for their prominent roles, with former Masters champion Yan Bingtao also handed a multi-year sentence.
Zhao was given the lightest punishment among the ten involved after being charged with being concerned in fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour in addition to betting on snooker.
A guilty plea helped the 27 year-old get his original sentence of two years and six months reduced to one year and eight months, which meant Zhao’s suspension ended on September 1st of this year.
There had initially been some confusion as to whether the former world number six would be able to immediately compete in international events.
The Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association upheld his original suspension last year, meaning he can’t enter events run by that organisation until July, 2025.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association’s usual stance is that a player who isn’t in good standing with their national federation can’t participate in their tournaments.
However, the WPBSA confirmed in August that the usual stipulation won’t apply on this occasion.
“After an extensive WPBSA investigation, Zhao Xintong admitted to being concerned in match fixing at a hearing before an independent Disciplinary Commission,” the WPBSA told SnookerHQ.com in an official statement in August.
“In June 2023, he was sentenced to a suspension of one year and eight months, and to pay costs of £7,500. The suspension was to run from when he was first suspended in January, 2023.”
“After this sentence, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) imposed a longer suspension.
“The CBSA have now confirmed their sanction only applies to mainland China and that Zhao Xintong is permitted to play in events outside of China from the end of his WPBSA suspension.
“Zhao will have served the suspension imposed by the Independent Disciplinary Commission by 1st September, 2024, and he has paid his costs order.
“This means that he is eligible to play in WPBSA-governed events from 2nd September, 2024.”
Zhao, who won the 2022 German Masters champion and reached as high as number six in the world rankings, will look to quickly regain his place on the professional tour.
One of the most obvious routes back is through Q Tour, the feeder amateur circuit that will grant access to the main tour for four players.
The top-ranked amateur at the end of the season will gain automatic promotion, while three additional places will be up for grabs in a play-off tournament.
If Zhao fails on the Q Tour, Q School could provide him with another chance to get back onto the main tour ahead of the 2025/26 term.
Zhao, who beat Luca Brecel to win the 2021 UK Championship, had been considered one of the brightest young talents in the game prior to his ban.
Estonia’s Andres Petrov, meanwhile, won Q Tour 1 last month at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.
The full draw for Q Tour 2 is available here (WPBSA Snooker Scores website).
Featured photo credit: WST
This is great. Not only is he incredibly talented, I think it’s also an important sign that players that have found themselves in match fixing situations have a road to recovery if they blow the whistle and support investigations. I hope that leads to less match fixing. I also hope that the Chinese authorities commute his sentence if he makes it to the main tour, they cannot be interested in punishing a home talent by disallowing him to enter Chinese events. I wonder if the qualification for Chinese events counts as a Mainland China event.