Zhao Xintong s historic snooker title sparks talk of China world domination

BEIJING – Zhao Xintong’s historic World Snooker Championship title is set to spur the game to even greater heights in China, and sparked predictions the country could come to dominate the sport.

The 28-year-old left-hander beat three-time world champion Mark Williams of Wales at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on May 5 to become the first Asian to clinch snooker’s biggest prize.

Zhao celebrated by draping the Chinese flag over his shoulders and, back home, he has been hailed as a national hero – his victory going viral on social media in the country.

His 20-month suspension in 2023 for his minor involvement in a betting scandal, with nine other Chinese snooker players also banned, has been largely forgiven.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing with calls from media and parents,” Zhang Dongtao, head coach at the Beijing-based World Snooker Academy – which has trained most of China’s stars, including Zhao – told AFP.

Snooker was long characterised in China by dingy halls filled with smoke and considered a pastime for idle drifters, loathed by parents as a waste of time compared to school studies.

However, the sport has boomed since an 18-year-old Ding Junhui burst onto the scene two decades ago, defeating Scotsman Stephen Hendry to win the China Open.

Many Chinese pro players, including Zhao, cite Ding as inspiring them to take up the sport, which numbers at an estimated 50 million currently.

Chinese make up 10 of the top 32 players in the world and China boasts more than 300,000 snooker or billiards clubs, up from 34,000 in 2005, said state media.

An industry report by Shangqi Consulting valued the country’s billiards market, which includes snooker, at 37 billion yuan (S$6.64 billion) in 2023 – and predicted that could double over the next few years.

At the World Snooker