Zhao Xintong apologizes! The Chinese Billiards Association speaks out with great weight, and snooker players Liang Wenbo and Li Xing are banned for life. The Snooker Association | China | Lifetime
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association officially announced on the 7th Beijing time the ruling on 10 Chinese snooker players who were previously accused of manipulating matches in the UK. Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were suspended for life, and other related players were also suspended for different periods of time. The China Billiards Association has stated that it will strictly punish the players involved and carry out industry wide warning education.
Starting from the second half of 2022, 10 players, including Zhao Xintong, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Yan Bingtao, Lu Ning, Li Xing, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu, and Liang Wenbo, are suspected of manipulating game results for gambling purposes and have been suspended by the World Taiwan Federation and the China Billiards Association. On June 7th at midnight Beijing time, the World Taiwan Federation (WTF) announced that the independent WTF disciplinary committee had made a ruling on the 10 players, stating that Leung Man bo and Lee Hang would not be allowed to participate in snooker matches for life, and the remaining 8 players would also be suspended for a period of 5 years and 4 months to 1 year and 8 months.
The Chinese Billiards Association also quickly released an announcement in the early hours of the morning. According to the announcement, the China Billiards Association attaches great importance to the manipulation of game results by 10 professional snooker players during their participation in the World Professional Ranking Tournament in the UK. According to the investigation results of the World Taiwan Federation, the involved players will be punished severely and severely. The association will carry out warning education throughout the industry and launch a series of measures to carry out anti gambling and counterfeiting activities to the end.
"The China Billiards Association has always maintained a 'zero tolerance' attitude towards behaviors that violate sports ethics such as gambling and match fixing, resolutely cracking down on such behaviors, and striving to create a fair and just competition environment.".
The association stated in the announcement that it will further increase its management of professional players in the UK, strengthen cooperation with international organizations, and jointly prevent similar incidents from happening again. At the same time, we will continue to carry out governance actions in China to combat gambling and counterfeiting, rectify competition ethics and discipline, and purify the atmosphere of the competition venue. We will further improve and implement the Disciplinary Guidelines and Punishment Regulations of the China Billiards Association, promote the publicity and education of competition ethics and discipline to mass and commercial competitions, establish a supervision and reporting mechanism, and implement the work effectively.
Snooker rising star Zhao Xintong apologizes for being banned from gambling
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association issued a ban on 10 Chinese players accused of manipulating the game on the 6th. One of the players involved, Zhao Xintong, immediately apologized through personal social media, expressing regret for his ignorance and foolishness, but still looking forward to returning to the field with a better image.
Since October last year, the World Taiwan Federation has imposed temporary bans on 10 Chinese players on suspicion of manipulating game results for gambling purposes. After investigating allegations and conducting a hearing, the World Taiwan Federation announced the verdict on the 6th. Leung Man bo and Lee Hang were suspended for life, while Zhao Xin tong was the least punished, suspended for one year and eight months until September 1, 2024.
According to the verdict, 26 year old Zhao Xintong accepted two charges in total, one of which was that he was involved in two games manipulated by another player; The second is that he illegally placed bets on the snooker game. Zhao Xintong also made it clear in his apology statement, "I have never had the thought or behavior of manipulating the game - I am well aware that it is a penalty area for professional athletes."
But he admitted that he didn't have the courage to say "no" when his friends asked him to help place bets, and he didn't report it to the World Taiwan Federation. "I naively thought that I was only responding to a good friend's request, and in the process, I did not receive any form of benefit in return. I paid a heavy price for my foolish behavior at that time."
When banned, Zhao Xintong, who had won two ranking tournament championships, ranked ninth in the world and was the highest ranked Chinese player on the tour at that time. O'Sullivan, who has won seven World Championships, has publicly expressed his appreciation for Zhao Xintong more than once, believing that his potential is limitless.
Zhao Xintong admitted that due to his lack of strict requirements for himself, he "let down the trust of the fans in me and brought shame to the Chinese snooker team". "I deeply apologize to everyone and sincerely apologize.".
He finally expressed that only by losing can we cherish it, "Let me use my achievements to prove myself and return to the field with a better image.".
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Heavy fines! Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were punished for life due to their involvement in a serious case, and Zhao Xintong still has hope for a comeback
According to the British media The Times and senior snooker insiders in China, the punishment results for last year's sensational case of Chinese players collectively suspected of gambling, fixing, and manipulating matches were announced on the evening of June 6th Beijing time. The World Professional Billy and Snooker Association has notified the 10 Chinese players involved of the punishment results. The initiator Liang Wenbo and the more serious Li Xing involved in the case have been banned for life. The lightest punishment is Zhao Xintong, the world's highest ranked Chinese player at the time of the ban, and the suspension deadline is September 1, 2024. The other player, Yan Bingtao, who ranked among the top 16 players at the time of suspension, was suspended for 5 years, while the rest of the players were suspended for periods ranging from 2 years to 5 years and 4 months.
Among these banned Chinese players, Zhao Xintong and some post-2000s players still have the opportunity to make a comeback and return to professional football. If Yan Bingtao, born in 2000, persists in training and does not give up, although the ban period is long, it is not impossible for him to return to professional football.
Since Liang Wenbo was temporarily suspended during the England Open on October 27, 2022, and until January 3, 2023, Zhao Xintong and Zhang Jiankang were suspended on suspicion of manipulating the game. A total of 10 Chinese players have been involved in the scandal, which is not only the most shameful scene in the history of Chinese snooker development, but also unprecedented in the world stage. On December 1, 2018, 28 year old Chinese footballer Cao Yupeng was banned by WPBSA for 6 years for profiting from his own and his friends through match fixing. In 2022, he made an early comeback to become a professional footballer due to admitting his mistake and performing well, and also made multiple appearances in the ranking tournament. Yu Delu, who is 31 years old, has been banned for 10 years and can only play Chinese billiards in China. The most severe punishment in the international arena is the famous case of "Little Fatty" Stephen Lee, a talented player who was banned for 12 years in 2013 due to long-term game manipulation and match fixing. This is also the harshest punishment made by the World Professional Table Tennis and Snooker Association before this punishment for Chinese players.
This time, two individuals, Liang Wenbo and Li Xing, were banned for life, which also set a precedent in history. Taking Liang Wenbo as an example, he was accused of manipulating multiple matches; Engage multiple players to control multiple matches; Attempting to obstruct the investigation; Not cooperating with WPBSA's investigation. The charges against Li Xing, another player who received a lifetime ban, were similar, and an additional note was added: betting in a snooker game. It should be said that the crimes committed by these two players are quite serious, and they will no longer appear on the professional snooker field.
The other disclosed punishment results are as follows: Zhao Xintong suggested a suspension period of 2 years and 6 months, the actual suspension period implemented was 1 year and 8 months, and the suspension deadline was September 1, 2024; Chang Bingyu suggested a suspension period of 3 years, and the actual suspension period implemented was 2 years; Zhao Jianbo suggested a suspension period of 3 years and 6 months, and the actual suspension period implemented was 2 years and 4 months; Browning suggested a suspension period of 4 years, while the actual suspension period implemented was 2 years and 8 months; Yan Bingtao's actual suspension period is 5 years; The actual suspension period implemented by Luning is 5 years and 4 months.
Among the aforementioned players, it is difficult for 29 year old Lu Ning to return to the professional field, or in other words, he has basically lost hope. Both Chang Bingyu and Bai Langning were born in 2002, and it is not impossible for them to return to the professional field after the suspension period expires. Zhao Jianbo is younger and was born in 2003. If he insists on training and does not give up, there is hope. Yan Bingtao received a heavy ban. He is a player born in 2000, with excellent performance and a master's championship title. Whether he can make a comeback depends on his own willingness and resilience.
Zhao Xintong, born in 1997, is the best performing player among those banned from playing. When he was temporarily banned, he ranked ninth in the world and won championship titles in ranking tournaments such as the English Championship and the German Masters. He is also the most regretful player and was once expected to be Ding Junhui's successor. His suspension period will only last until September 1st next year, after which he can regain his professional qualification by participating in competitions. Zhao Xintong has both strength and potential, and many fans. We look forward to him returning to the professional arena.
It can be said that the impact of this match fixing case is severe, and the investigation and evidence collection are time-consuming and laborious. The hearing that began in late April lasted for nearly two weeks, and after a long investigation and hearing, the above-mentioned punishment was made more than a month later. The punishment from the Chinese Billiards Association will also be introduced soon. Of course, the World Professional Billy and Snooker Association also stated that punished players have the right to appeal.
Making iron requires one's own hard work, because due to the nature of the project, most Chinese snooker players have been fighting independently and living in the UK for years. Even though these athletes are labeled as Chinese Taiwan Association players and have loose management, most players bear the cost of studying, playing, and living on their own, without too many strict constraints. In this situation, there are some bad habits in the hands of the ball, and even behaviors that violate morality and the rules of snooker sports are difficult to detect in a timely manner, and can only rely on self-discipline. In addition, in recent years, the actual situation of low bonuses in world snooker competitions has forced players to take risks due to the harsh survival conditions, resulting in heartbreaking results. And for their heavy punishment, it also sounded the alarm for other players.
This case involves up to 10 Chinese players, which not only seriously tarnishes the reputation of Chinese snooker, but also directly affects the promotion and development of the sport in China. Even in the future, other Chinese snooker players may face discrimination and even defamation on the international stage, and it will take a long time to recover.
