Second snooker star banned after match-fixing scandal set for return to sport

Chang Bingyu has secured a World Tour card and will return to the professional circuit after his two-year match-fixing ban came to an end. He becomes the second player, after Zhao Xintong, to stage a comeback following their punishments. Chang and Zhao were among the 10 Chinese players to receive bans in June 2023 as part of an unprecedented match-fixing scandal. Zhao received the shortest ban of 20 months, having not fixed a match himself.

Chang was initially given a three-year ban, but reduced to two years following early admissions and "accepting that he had fixed a snooker match he was playing in". The suspension officially ended on December 7, 2024, allowing the 22-year-old to compete in the Asia-Pacific Snooker Championship. There, he blitzed the competition and defeated Australia's Ryan Thomerson 6-1 in the final. He also won 5-0 against Chau Hon Man in the semis.

Next season, .

Their participation will raise eyebrows, especially after Chang admitted to match-fixing a 4-1 defeat to Jamie Jones in the 2022 British Open. He told the Disciplinary Commission that he received a call from Liang Wenbo on the morning of the match, telling him that Liang "had placed a lot of money on his bet without my knowledge, for my match with Jamie Jones that evening".

Chang claimed to have "reluctantly agreed" but said he never received any money for the fix. Liang was given a lifetime ban from snooker along with Li Hang.

Zhao has received support from those on the tour because he had not fixed a match, but it remains to be seen what reaction Chang's return will prompt from his peers.

He was narrowly beaten by in the first round of the , having come through qualifying, and .

"I think it has to be said Zhao Xintong was at the very lower end of those bans," Murphy said last year. "He was never accused of cheating, he was never accused of fixing any matches.

"He did know about it without reporting it and of course that's against the rules. He's served his time.

"The problem with Zhao Xintong is he's really bloody good. It might be fair to say he's done nothing in these 18 months but practice. He looks very, very sharp to me.

"There's been quite a lot of fanfare about his return, which I've not been 100 per cent sure about, but he was caught, he took his punishment on the chin and since then has done everything right.

"There's an element of rehabilitation, he's done the crime and served his time and he's back."