The Chinese Army's shining 2025 Snooker World Championship has greatly promoted the development of sports, and winning the championship is even better

The 2025 World Snooker Championship, which is being held at the Crucible Theatre in the United Kingdom, has ended part of the competition in the second round of the main competition. After the first round, the Chinese team reached the round of 16 with a record six players, which is one more than the second-placed England team (five). As of the 26th local time, Ding Junhui fell behind the Belgian bullet Brecel 1-7, Xiao Guodong lost to the wizard Higgins 12-13, Zhao Xintong led Lei Peifan 10-6 and advanced in sight, Si Jiahui led Wollaston 5-3, and Pang Junxu fell behind Rocket O'Sullivan 2-6. Judging from the current situation, after the end of the second round, there may be 2 Chinese players among the top 8 of this World Championships.

Ding Junhui was 1-7 behind the Belgian bullet Brecel

Such a situation is what Jason Ferguson, president of the WPBSA (Chinese: World Professional Billy and Snooker Association), is happy to see, because the Chinese supermarkets in the snooker world are something he cannot ignore. Ferguson said a few days ago, "China has accepted the sport of snooker and has given it a lot of love and care. One thing that is true in China is the use of snooker facilities in schools and mainstream education. That's exactly what we need. The players come together in the academy – Sheffield has three players – and you'll find the players playing against each other day in and day out, and the level of snooker is absolutely amazing. ”

However, in June 2023, snooker and the sport in China suffered a huge setback, with 10 Chinese players banned from participating in match-fixing. Former Masters champion Yan Bingtao was banned, while Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were banned for life. Former British Championship champion Zhao Xintong has been banned for 20 months.

Zhao Xintong led Lei Peifan 10-6 and advanced in sight

Ferguson said: 'There are players who have broken the rules, which is unfortunate, it's a very sad moment and it's very difficult to deal with. We are in close contact with our partners and snooker authorities in China. We work together to better educate the players and ensure that the players have the opportunity to participate. The good thing is that the sport has returned to normal and hasn't stopped the emergence of talent. ”

Robertson, the "Melbourne Machine" and 2010 world champion, knows what it's like to break Britain's dominance in snooker, and he feels that the strong performance of the Chinese team at this year's World Championships is a huge boost for snooker. The Australian added: "Xiao Guodong said it's like 'China team', they are really happy for each other and I like that mentality. He said that they are trying to reduce the burden on Ding Junhui, support him, and they are a team. The sport is getting stronger in China, which makes it more difficult to play the first round of all tournaments, as we will only get more Chinese players to qualify. They don't seem to care about Crucible, and even in their debut at the World Championships, they all seem to be playing well, so it's exciting for snooker. We saw the flags of a lot of countries, which is a good thing for the game. ”

Two of the "75 Three Heroes" have reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Snooker Championship, and the three of the 14 crowns are expected to win more glory

So, if a Chinese player lifts the championship trophy after the final of the 2025 World Championships that ends on May 5 local time, what will happen to the sport of snooker next? Ferguson said: "This is what we and the Chinese snooker management have always dreamed of, and one day they will win the World Championships. If a Chinese player were crowned king, it would be a magical, historic moment and a real transformation of the sport, and I can't tell you how much media frenzy that would bring to snooker around the world. ”