Introduction
Contrary to public belief, snooker is starting to wane in China. This isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s been a slow creep on the decline for a number of years, beginning in 2017. There are only four snooker academies in China with numerous billiards and pool academies. Those players who started in the snooker academies and who haven’t packed their bags and gone to the academies in Sheffield, have been drawn to the number of billiards and pool tournaments that exist in this Far Eastern cuesports Mecca. The prize money is astronomical and eye-watering and you don’t have to be a professional to enter. Someone can walk off the street and compete.
So it is no surprise that Liang Wenbo, the Chinese snooker player who was recently cited as being the ringleader of the match-fixing scandal decided to skip his WPBSA Zoom inquiry interviews and announce that he was retiring from snooker on Weibo. Instead, he packed his bags and moved back to China and is now playing on the lucrative Chinese pool circuit. Although he is banned from events organised by the CBSA. A country where anything is possible and money talks.
The Colour of Money
You only have to do an internet search to see the staggering amount of prizes on offer for cue sports in China. 8 ball is an obvious example in the recent World Heyball in QinHuangdoo, a tournament which had 32 Chinese players and 32 International players were invited, the winner’s prize was $740,000 with a minimum bonus of $3,000. An event where free flights and hotel accommodation were offered to the main stage players. A tournament was won this year by Zheng Yubo. An event in which Gareth Potts and Kelly Fisher took part.
There are a large number of pool tournaments in China with varying amounts of prize money. For example, the China Open 9-Ball Championship offers $40,000 which Germany’s Joshua Filler won this year. A recent 3-year deal in ink between Joy Billiards Sports and WPA was worth $6,000,000 with an Olympic push for Heyball. A deal that also attracts a number of big sponsorship deals and 10 tournaments across the globe.
1. Heyball World Junior Championships
2. Heyball African Open
3. Heyball American Open
4. Heyball Asian Open
5. Heyball European Open
6. Heyball Oceania Open
7. Heyball World Championship
8. Champion of Champions
9. National champions for 64 countries
10. World Cup in 2026
The Future of Snooker
The snooker calendar has incorporated three Chinese tournaments this season after a long pause due to Covid restrictions but that number will probably increase next season. The Shanghai Masters won by Ronnie O’Sullivan, the Wuhan Open by Judd Trump and the International Championship by Zhang Anda. There followed the reintroduced of the Hong Kong Masters, won by Ronnie O’Sullivan. This is where the big money is outside the Triple Crown events with the Shanghai Masters offering £210,000, the Wuhan Open £140,000, the International Championship £175,000 and the Hong Kong Masters £100,000.
So it is not a surprise that Ronnie O’Sullivan and others have decided to kiss goodbye to their Christmas and get on a plane to Macau, China to compete in a lucrative exhibition that is being played on Christmas Day. An event that recently got him and others into contractual trouble. This is probably the first of many snooker events that will lure professional snooker players to China for events outside the calendar. The financial reward is far too tempting and if you can make a considerable amount of money as a result, it is a no-brainer. This slow creep won’t go away and who is to say that the Triple Crown event won’t eventually come to China? Not that is a decision I agree with but sadly China has far more money than the UK can ever offer.
