Two professional Chinese snooker players have been banned for life and eight others have been suspended for match-fixing, according to the independent World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Disciplinary Commission. A provisional suspension was been issued to all 10 in January, pending the investigation.
This is just the latest scandal to engulf professional sports in China, where match-fixing has plagued multiple disciplines in recent years.
According to the WPBSA, Liang Wenbo and Li Hang received lifetime bans due to their violations of conduct regulations. The eight other players admitted their guilt and were handed substantial suspensions for their participation.
Li and Liang were found to be the primary instigators for fixing multiple matches between July and September of last year. The remaining players were implicated either for actively participating in match-fixing or engaging in illegal betting activities.
WPBSA’s chairman Jason Ferguson said in a statement: “It has been heart-breaking to see some young talented player fall foul of the WPBSA Conduct Regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players. This behavior has been recognized as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two-lifetime bans from participating in recognized snooker in any way.”
“Those who try to corrupt the sport are constantly trying to find new ways to avoid our monitoring process and this outcome must be taken as a lesson to those who think they can avoid detection. If any player is involved in fixing a snooker match, they will be caught and will face severe penalties,” he said.
Following the punishment decision, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has issued a statement welcoming the sanctioning of snooker players.
“We would like to congratulate the WPBSA on successfully prosecuting this case. It highlights the vital role played by well-regulated betting markets in deterring corruption and sends a very clear message to all athletes about the risks of engaging in match-fixing,” said Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO.
