Snooker bosses step in and address Zhao Xintong controversy after Crucible final
Snooker chiefs have accepted they could have made rules clearer after anger amongst players over Zhao Xintong's ranking status following his World Snooker Championship triumph. The Chinese player beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the final at the Crucible on Monday, having started through qualifying as an amateur.
The 28-year-old was handed a 20-month ban over allegations of match-fixing and betting on snooker and was forced to drop out of the professional circuit.
But he quickly earned a two-year tour card for the new season in the amateur ranks before coming all the way through qualifying to win the tournament, pocketing the £500,000 prize. As a result, he has moved into the world's top 16, with the rankings system based on prize money.
However, the official rules stated in World Snooker Tour's entry pack state that an amateur's ranking points "will always reset to zero at the start of each season", leading to confusion over how he has risen so high.
The entry pack dictates: "WST qualification for season 2025/2026: Top 64 from Prize Money Rankings after World Championship 2025. An amateur player can qualify in the Top 64 however their ranking points will always reset to zero at the start of each season.
"That amateur will count as a Top 64 player and the player ranked 64 would fall outside of the Top 64 and fail to qualify. Additional tour spaces will be announced in due course. Tour places are at the sole discretion of WST."
World Snooker Tour admitted the wording in the entry pack was confusing but confirmed Zhao would move up to number 11 in the rankings following his world championship win.
A statement said: "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 rankings 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."
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said it was an unprecedented situation that had "never happened before" rather than a rule change.
Mark Allen led the anger from player as he said: "What's the point in having rules/criteria if you just change it after the fact whenever suits? I'm baffled how people can't see how poor this is."
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