WST forced to release statement as Zhao Xintong wins World Championship amid player 'outrage'

The World Snooker Tour have been forced to release a statement surrounding Zhao Xintong's first World Championship win.

Zhao defeated Mark Williams 18-12 at the Crucible to become China's first ever world champion, earning himself £500,000 in prize money in the process.

He also became the first amateur to win the World Championship in its 98-year history, having only been permitted to enter the qualifiers via winning the Q Tour.

Zhao completed a 20-month suspension from World Snooker events in September 2024, having been one of 10 players banned as part of a Chinese match-fixing scandal.

The 28-year-old was the only player among the 10 that were not found guilty of match-fixing, with Zhao instead accepting the lesser charges of being a party to another player fixing two matches (being aware of a match being fixed) and betting on matches.

Having been initially suspended from the main tour in January 2023, Zhao had not collected any ranking points in the past two seasons and was therefore not listed on the rankings heading into the World Championship.

But prior to the final getting underway, the World Pool, Billiards and Snooker Association - who organise snooker events - clarified, through its chairman Jason Ferguson, that Zhao would start next season inside the top 64 as a result of already earning a tour card through the Q Tour and his World Championship progression.

The red ink here is that a player who has qualified for next season's professional tour through either Q School or the Q Tour must have earned enough ranking points in the current season to place themselves in the top 64.

It is a system also used in darts, with 2024 ranking event winner - and amateur - Wesley Plaisier notably having his ranking points reset after qualifying for the 2025 Pro Tour due to not placing inside the top 64.

It is a complicated issue and one that has drawn the ire of some of snooker's top players - with Zhao's victory meaning he will start next season in 11th place.

Mark Allen claimed on Monday that World Snooker's stance on the issue contradicted what professionals were told about amateur players and their ranking eligibility at the beginning of the campaign.

World Snooker released a statement on the matter prior to the final, confirming that Zhao will enter the rankings at number 11 while accepting that their previous guidance on the rule was 'poorly worded'.

That statement reads (via Metro): "The principle clearly established in snooker is that amateurs can earn prize money and ranking points in the same way that professionals do, and there are many precedents for this.

"Zhao has earned his top 64 place on merit, he will keep the ranking points he has earned and, if he wins the World Championship, he will be seeded second for most events next season which again is a long-standing principle.

"Our entry pack was agreed with the Players Board before the start of this season. We accept that the wording in this particular paragraph could have been clearer, but the principles are unchanged and well-established."

Among the professionals less than impressed at World Snooker's stance is Ali Carter, who falls out of the top 16 for next season as a direct result of Zhao's final win.

As a result, 'The Captain' will be denied access to some of snooker's top events, including the Masters, if he cannot get back into the top 16.

Carter lost 10-4 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round at the Crucible, having missed several opportunities during the match.

In response to a Twitter user, Carter claimed that the matter was 'all in hand and will be dealt with correctly'.