Snooker star Zhao Xintong is set to return to the table later this month having served a 20-month ban.
Zhao was among 10 Chinese players who were given bans last year following snooker’s biggest-ever match-fixing scandal.
However, the 2021 UK Championship winner wasn’t said to have directly thrown a match himself and received the loweest penalty of the 10 guilty players.
Other guilty players included Liang Wenbo and Li Hang, who were expelled from the sport for life. The seven other players involved were Lu Ning, Yan Bingtao, Chen Zifan, Zhang Jiankang, Bai Langning, Zhao Jianbo and Chang Bingyu.
The Chinese ace’s original ban was initially two-and-a-half years, but that penalty was reduced to one year and eight months because of his early admissions and guilty plea.
Zhao was also forced to pay £7,500 after admitting to being a party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself.
The snooker player’s suspension ran from when he was suspended in January 2023 up until 2 September, with Zhao now free to compete in tournaments again.
And that’s exactly what the 27-year-old will be doing later this month when he takes to the table for the WPBSA Q Tour event in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Zhao’s first match back after his 20-month ban is up against Vilius Schulte-Ebbert – a seven-time national champion from Lithuania.
The first task for Zhao upon his return is recovering a spot on the World Snooker Tour for the 2025/26 season.
In a statement given to SnookerHQ.com last month, the WPBSA said: “After an extensive WPBSA investigation, Zhao Xintong admitted to being concerned in match fixing at a hearing before an independent Disciplinary Commission.
“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 1 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.”
The most likely route back onto the professional tour for Zhao is through the Q Tour, which sees the best-ranked amateur at the end of every year promoted, with three additional spots available via a play-off.
