What Happens When Banned Athletes Return as World-Beaters?

What message does it send when an athlete is banned for match-fixing and returns shortly after to win major championships?

Does it prove the system works - that the right ban means the players can always be redeemed? Or does it show the opposite - that some players banned for relatively short periods, while young, don’t really face long-term consequences

Zhao Xintong’s victory at the 2025 World Snooker Championship, achieved just last week, has reignited debate about the appropriateness of punishments related to integrity violations.

Zhao, banned from professional snooker for 20 months starting in 2023 after admitting to betting on snooker matches and failing to report another player's match-fixing, returned in September 2024 and quickly reclaimed elite status. His championship win made him the first Chinese snooker world champion, sparking renewed scrutiny about whether such rapid rehabilitation adequately supports sports integrity.

Nigel Mawer, chairman of the Darts Regulatory Authori…