2 Chinese snooker players handed lifetime bans for role in match-fixing scandal

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Chinese snooker players Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were handed lifetime bans from the sport on Tuesday for their role in a match-fixing scandal involving eight more of their countrymen.

Liang and Li were found by an independent disciplinary commission to have fixed five matches in July last year, then encouraged or put pressure on others to fix matches between July and December.

Liang is a former finalist in the UK Championship, one of the biggest events on the snooker calendar.

A total of 10 Chinese players were sanctioned by the World Snooker Tour, including Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong — two of the biggest names in the sport.

Yan — the 2021 Masters champion — was handed a five-year ban and Zhao — the UK Championship winner from the same year – was banned for one year and eight months.

An investigation was launched following an alert in August last year from the International Betting Integrity Association and World Snooker’s integrity unit. The 10 players were then suspended pending an investigation.

“It has been heartbreaking to see some young talented players fall foul of the (World Snooker) Conduct Regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players,” said Jason Ferguson, chairman of World Snooker. “This behavior has been recognized as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two lifetime bans from participating in recognized snooker in any way.

Ferguson said he was pleased the commission did not find “any evidence of a wider culture of wrongdoing in snooker.”

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