World number 16 Yan Bingtao has been provisionally suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). The Chinese is part of an investigation into match-fixing.
Yan Bingtao is not the first big name to be suspended by the WPBSA. At the end of October, the International Snooker Federation also suspended Liang Wenbo, the number 52 in the world.
The suspensions are the result of an investigation into contest rigging for gamblers. The WPBSA says that the suspension applies for the duration of the investigation. That can take several months.
The 22-year-old Yan Bingtao is the number 16 in the world and the second highest ranked Chinese in the world ranking, after Zhao Xintong (WST-9). In 2021 he won the Masters, his most prestigious victory to date.
Snooker is immensely popular in China, which has resulted in a huge rise of Chinese snooker talent in the professional circuit in recent years. In addition to Yan Bingtao and Liang Wenbo, 5 other Chinese have been suspended since last week by the WPBSA for alleged match fixing.
