Snooker star who conspired to fix British Open match now free to return after ban

Chinese snooker star Bai Langning is now eligible to make a comeback to professional play, just three years after being embroiled in a match-fixing scandal that sent shockwaves through the sport. Bai was a mere 20 years old when he was slapped with a suspension in December 2022 but has served his ban.

In early 2023, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) charged Bai with "being concerned in fixing a match on the World Snooker Tour". The match in question was a British Open qualifying round tie against Zhao Xintong, back in September 2022.

In June 2023, the governing body announced that Bai's suspension had been shortened from an initial four years, due to his guilty plea and "early admission". Since August 6 the 23-year-old has been free to return to the fray and attempt to resurrect his career.

Bai was among five Chinese players who were suspended in December 2022 in connection with the match-fixing scandal. Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo and Chang Bingyu were the other four players hit with suspensions, with Lu being the only player in the world's top 50 at the time.

Additional suspensions were meted out in the ensuing months, withtwo players - Liang Wenbo and Li Hang - receiving lifetime bans. In total, 10 players received punishment from the sport's authorities.

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Bai, who has been regularly paying towards financial sanctions following his ban, is now free to compete in tournaments outside China, as confirmed by WPBSA to Express Sport.

This is subject to the WPBSA checking his standing with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA), which organises tournaments in China. Bai's ban in China is set to last until 6th December 2026.

The pro player, who turned professional in his teenage years, has only once participated in the main draw of the British Open. In the 2021 edition of the competition, he made it to the second round, defeating Ashley Carty in the opening round before losing 3-1 to fellow countryman Pang Junxu.

The subsequent year saw Bai participating in qualifying but was defeated 4-1 by Zhao Xintong - another one of the 10 Chinese players suspended as part of the investigation.

Zhao, who reached the second round of the British Open in 2022, went on to clinch the World Championship in 2025 after serving a ban of his own.

This year's British Open is already underway, although Bai is not participating despite his ban ending. Zhao, on the other hand, is in the main draw after narrowly avoiding an upset against Ashley Hugill, with with Stuart Bingham his round of 64 opponent.

Zhao, aged 28, won the world title after coming through qualifying as he too continues to rebuild his career following his ban. "I know about the pressure, but it is very hard to control," he admitted earlier this year.

"So I have to learn from Ding [Junhui] and Ronnie [O'Sullivan] because they do it well and play well in the moment [when under pressure]."