World Snooker Tour accept that the wording could have been clearer after Zhao Xintong’s ranking status caused confusion and anger among players.
The Chinese star won the World Snooker Championship on Monday night, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the Crucible final.
The 28-year-old did so under amateur status as he was banned from the sport for 20-months for being concerned in match-fixing and betting on snooker.
That ban saw him drop off the professional tour and he has played on the amateur circuit to regain his pro status, which he did quickly, earning himself a two-year tour card starting in the coming season.
However, an unusual situation has arisen as Zhao came through World Championship qualifying, all the way to win the title, earning himself £500,000 in the process.
The ranking system is based on prize money and that has catapulted him into the world’s top 16, if indeed he is allowed to get those ranking points as an amateur player.
The WST entry pack for players appeared to suggest otherwise, although it was, by their own admission, poorly worded.
The entry pack reads: ‘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.’
WST have since explained that Zhao will indeed rise to number 11 in the world rankings, accepting that the entry pack unintentionally suggests that would not happen.
A statement before the World Championship final read: ‘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 appeared on the BBC and was asked about the situation by Ken Doherty, who said players were ‘up in arms’ about it.
Ali Carter, in particular, could be aggrieved as he is the player who has dropped outside of the top 16 as a result of Zhao being ranked so highly.
World number 10 Mark Allen posted on social media: ‘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.’
Ferguson explained: ‘It’s not actually a rule change, it’s a scenario that’s never happened before.
‘Amateur players do enter events from time to time, from top-ups in various events, and as they come in they play against professionals but they never break into the top 64 because they only come in for one or two events.
‘This is the first time we’ve seen this where somebody has broken all the way through, earnt enough points in a season. In that scenario the case is that the player retains those ranking points because the player is deemed a professional player and joins the professional tour by retaining that top 64 position.’
There was some controversy over Zhao being able to play at all on the amateur circuit this season as his 20-month ban from the sport was extended by the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association to run until July 2025.
In order to play on the Q Tour, the entry forms state that a player must be ‘in good standing’ with their national federation, which Zhao clearly was not.
Speaking to Metro in August last year, Ferguson explained that while Zhao remained banned in China, he was going to be allowed to play on the Q Tour anyway.
‘We’ve clarified that situation with China,’ he said. ‘Those bans stand in China, but what we do here at the WPBSA is recognise the ban of the independent sports tribunal. China does have the ability to put in its own process in its own country.
‘However, in terms of the things we do, we’re recognising the ban put in place by the independent tribunal.’
With Zhao now in the top 64, the tour card he won through the Q Tour is set to be awarded to a different player, although who that is has not yet been confirmed.