# Talk:Zhao Xintong

I feel like the final paragraph in the lead goes into too much detail about the ban only to conclude that the end date of the ban would be the same as originally announced. Should that information be cut from the lead and put elsewhere, especially now that his ban has ended? KDayne (talk) 20:53, 28 October 2024 (UTC)

Yes, Clearly needs reorganising. There needs to a separate section on the ban, which would include the current fourth paragraph. Nigej (talk) 08:35, 29 October 2024 (UTC)
Indeed. Needs moving out of the lede and then summarising. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 20:26, 29 October 2024 (UTC)

does anyone have any sources that talk about more about his prior life, family or what he did before he went into snooker? Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 21:04, 5 May 2025 (UTC)

No, but maybe this will become more apparent as he goes on the promotional tour, doing interviews, etc. over next few months? Rodney Baggins .talk. 22:25, 5 May 2025 (UTC)
Channel News Asia [1]. Canary757 (talk) 08:20, 6 May 2025 (UTC)
Cheers. I had found one, but that's ideal as a second. I don't think it's all that far from a GAN. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 13:40, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

Zhao Xintong 2025.jpg
Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:21, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

Does anyone have an issue if I nominate this for GA? I've gone through most of this, just need a small tidy up and I think it's comprehensive. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 19:02, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

Good idea Lee. Put me down as co-nom if you like. I've requested semi-protection to ward off the jokers, don't know if you can speed that up? Rodney Baggins .talk. 09:55, 7 May 2025 (UTC)
@Lee Vilenski: What do you think about the changes made yesterday by User:Lovewhatyoudo? The sources look genuine and reliable and the edits are clearly good faith. I'll take a closer look and tidy up the prose, unless you have any major objections to the changes in principle? We got two days semi-page protection, but I don't think that's enough. Rodney Baggins .talk. 07:29, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

No idea on the reliability of those sources, but we do need more Chinese-based sources and it seems grand to me. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 08:56, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
Sorry Lee Vilenski and Rodney Baggins but following my remarks at Talk:John Higgins/GA2, I thought I'd have a look at this, and I think the the nomination may be a bit premature. Looking just at the 2012–2016: Amateur career section, the following appear to be uncited. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 20:04, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

"In June 2012 at the Zhangjiagang Open, Zhao defeated high-ranking players Xiao Guodong, Kevin McMahon, and Yu Delu, to reach the last 16 of the tournament where he lost 3‍–‍4 to Stephen Lee."
Cited Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:43, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"reaching the second round of ... the Yixing Open"
The Yixing Open is just the name of the second event. I suppose we could change the name to event 2. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:43, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"to reach the last 32 of a ranking event for the first time."
Removed Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:48, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"He narrowly lost in a deciding frame 5‍–‍6 to Matthew Stevens." – source does not say that the frame was narrowly lost
Agreed. I've added a nice BBC article in there as well. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:48, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"Having also earned his way to the last 32 of the World Open and China Open"
Removed. I've just said two events, they aren't all that important as to which ones. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:50, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"six-time World Champion" (also please check the page ref; I think it's maybe p.378 instead of p.352 but that might be because I'm looking at a different edition with ISBN 9780091958640)
I have the book at home, I'll take a look. I've added a source for this statement though. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 09:50, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"He reached the third round of the competition before losing 2‍–‍6 to Marco Fu."
"Zhao entered several events in an attempt to qualify for the tour for the 2015‍–‍16 season."
Removed. I suspect we can infer this, but not cited. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 10:00, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"Zhao's high ranking in the Q School Order of Merit gave him entry as a top-up player in professional events."
I don't know where we'd cite this, so I've removed.Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 10:00, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"142 was the high break of the tournament" (source says "so far")
I've removed this. Can't see the point of the high break prize unless it's super relevant. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 10:00, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
"first appearance at a Triple Crown event"
Also.. the names seem to sort by flag rather than surname in the tables in Career finals. I think that flagathlete rather than flagicon should be used. BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 23:59, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

I've fixed this one. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 10:10, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
I might just be confusing myself but when I go to the rankings source, clicking on 21 in the top row should, I thought, sort by order for that year, but it has Zhao as "26" while the first columns have "24. Zhao Xintong". Similarly for sorting by some of the earlier years. (Looks from our rankings articles that the values in the table in the article are right). BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 00:20, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

Looks like whoever was 21st and 19th no longer exists on that source. Thats because that ranking only shows previous top 16 players and those currently on tour.
21st was Kurt Maflin, but for whatever reason, 19th would have been Thepchiaya Un-Nooh, who was a top 16 player and is still on tour (unless I missed something). Weird. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 10:21, 10 May 2025 (UTC)
Seems like the following lack appropriate citations in the 2016–2020: Early professional years and 2021–22 season: UK Championship winner sections:

Zhao qualified for the 2017 German Masters by beating Li Hang 5‍–‍3
a 5‍–‍0 whitewash of Sunny Akani saw Zhao reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time.
Zhao qualified for the World Snooker Championship for the first time in 2019
lost in the second round to Stephen Maguire.
also

elevating his world ranking to 29th by the end of the season. (Source has 30th, not 29th).
Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 15:39, 5 August 2025 (UTC)

Zhao did not directly throw a match, but he accepted charges of being party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself, and for those offences he received a 20-month ban.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/snooker/articles/c8dgz1zgv10o

China's first World Snooker Champion https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/snooker/news/12243/13362761/zhao-xintong-who-is-chinas-first-world-snooker-champion-and-why-was-he-banned Antony Gonsalves Yokohama (talk) 06:46, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate.Rodney Baggins .talk. 07:19, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Zhao Xintong/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Nominator: Lee Vilenski (talk · contribs) 13:45, 7 May 2025 (UTC)
Co-nominator: Rodney Baggins (talk · contribs) 13:45, 7 May 2025 (UTC)
Reviewer: Mb2437 (talk · contribs) 18:32, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Good evening! Per WP:GARC, I will be reviewing this article over the next couple of days. MB2437 18:32, 30 July 2025 (UTC)


### Immediate checks
It is a long way from meeting any one of the six good article criteria 
It contains copyright violations  Passes Earwig.
It has, or needs, cleanup banners that are unquestionably still valid. These include {{cleanup}}, {{POV}}, {{unreferenced}} or large numbers of {{citation needed}}, {{clarify}}, or similar tags (See also {{QF}}) 
It is not stable due to edit warring on the page 
It has issues noted in a previous GA review that still have not been adequately addressed, as determined by a reviewer who has not previously reviewed the article 

MB2437 19:54, 30 July 2025 (UTC)


### Criteria
Well-written:

the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct; 
it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation. 

Verifiable with no original research:

it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline; 
reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose); 
it contains no original research; 
it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism. 

Broad in its coverage:

it addresses the main aspects of the topic; 
it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style). 

Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each. 
Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute. 
Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:

media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content; 
media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions. 


### Comments
#### Criterion 1a
Some parts of the lead feel overdetailed e.g. exact scores, five different statistics related to his WC victory (being the first from China is inherent given he is the first from Asia and being an amateur is a technicality), and non-noteworthy rankings. Could definitely be more concise—it's very long for a subject with only a few ranking titles. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
The thing is, its because it is unprecedented. Id be more inclined to cut down the info from his WC win if he had won a lot more. That win made him ultra famous in China, everything else pales in comparison, and the circumstances (being an amateur) is unheard of. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:15, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
It could still be far more concise—104 words on one event is a lot for a lead, most extended details belong in the body. MB2437 14:38, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
Have rearranged the lead, tried to cut out some of the detail. Would prefer not to pull out the whitewash stat ("making Zhao the third player—after Steve Davis and Neil Robertson—to win a two-session ranking final without conceding any frames.") A whitewash win in a ranking final is notable achievement for a youngster on pro tour. We perhaps don't need to mention him being 4th qualifier to win WC in para 3, so we might get rid of that (the other stats relating to his WC win already mentioned in opening para are probably more important). I personally think the lead is about the right length now as it stands. Rodney Baggins .talk. 08:24, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
All good. MB2437 12:52, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
Spelling and grammar is mostly fine. "The matches involved were Yan Bingtao vs Ricky Walden in March 2022 Welsh Open and Yan vs Oliver Lines in March 2022 Turkish Masters."—this sentence is confusing. MB2437 04:19, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
Ive changed this. You're right, it was poorly worded. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:19, 5 August 2025 (UTC)


#### Criterion 1b
A few MOS points in the lead and infobox: all citations should ideally be moved to the body or removed altogether; his birth place should not have the city linked; "China" should not be linked; and "2025–" should be "2025–present" or "2025–pres.". Let me know if some of these are matters of WP:SNOOKER standardisation. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
yeah, the sport country and date modifiers should probably go to WT:SNOOKER. I don't have any feelings on it at all, other than that we should close the 2025- hole. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:21, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
I cant do much about the nicknames citation. Its called from elsewhere after vandalism from a while back. Id rather not set a precident in the nicknames template by removing the ref. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:24, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
A few words to watch scattered throughout i.e. "but", "however", and "although". I'd recommend removing these as they can read as persuasive. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
I've cleaned up a few of these cases for better flow. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:31, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
A couple of single-line paragraphs throughout—can these be merged with others? MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
I have merged some smaller paragraphs together. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:26, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
Some citations are given before punctuation. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
Do you mean in the middle of the sentence? I couldnt find any directly before the punctuation. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:28, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
The lead paragraph should concisely point out what the subject is notable for. It simply goes straight into his career summary. I'd normally expect to see his highest world ranking, number/list of major titles, and etcetera here. The reader should be able to get a quick summary of his most notable career achievements from this, with further details concisely noted in the following 2–3 paragraphs. MB2437 03:29, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
Generally what you are referring to is the lede sentence (or the first couple). This lede sentence says exactly what he is notable for - both as a professional snooker player, and winning the world championship. Its valid to then go into a chronological summary of the player. You can of course, state the highlights first and then do the rest. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:31, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
I'd use the opening paragraph to plainly state what he is most notable for, per MOS:LEADPARAGRAPH. MB2437 14:41, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
I've reworked the lead so the opening paragraph covers what he's most notable for, i.e. reigning world champion, 1st Asian world champion, 1st amateur ranking event winner, lost pro status after winning two pro events, highest ranking. (His WC win whilst playing as an amateur because he was banned from the pro tour is unprecedented, so I do think it's worth introducing in opening lead para.) Rodney Baggins .talk. 08:24, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
"Vice President" should not be capitalised. MB2437 03:41, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
Sure. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:32, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
The subtitling is fairly inconsistent, with some sections covering multiple seasons and others covering one. I'd recommend maybe adding level-four headings for the wider-ranging sections. MB2437 03:57, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
I dont think they are THAT different. Id be inclined to remove headers rather than add them. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 07:34, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
No biggie. MB2437 14:42, 3 September 2025 (UTC)


#### Criterion 2b
Reference spot-check: 14 24 29 33 40 46 50 60 66 74 All pass my review. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
Sources appear fairly reliable. Would ideally prefer less primary sources—such as WPBSA and WST—but they are fine for verification. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
No sources given for his results matrix; his final scores are given in the body so no issue there. Are there no snooker databases that can be used to reference this? MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
Snooker.org would be my suggestion. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:32, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
I'd recommend adding this. Only needs a row at the bottom with "Source: [...]" MB2437 14:43, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
Have added source below matrix, although this is a standard table that we have for all players and no explicit source is normally provided. Rodney Baggins .talk. 09:06, 6 September 2025 (UTC)


#### Criterion 3a
No details on his personal adult life outside snooker. Would not say this is strictly necessary for a sportsperson's article, but would be nice to know a bit more about him personally since he turned professional, as well as any other business ventures/investments if applicable. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
I suspect theres probably something in his life worth noting, but with it being in Chinese, ive not been able to pick up much more than is already here. I dont think we should be talking about investments. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:30, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
I will tick off this point, but I would recommend adding this if details come to light. MB2437 14:45, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
Has he won no awards throughout his career? Would be nice to have a bulleted list if he has. MB2437 13:39, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
I suspect he might get some at the end of the year in China, but its quite a rare thing for snooker players to get awards, or at least notable honours. Outside of sports personalities and knighthoods, theres not much across the board. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:31, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
No worries. MB2437 14:44, 3 September 2025 (UTC)


#### Criterion 3b
His career summary in the body is well-written and concise, I would recommend trimming the lead though, as above. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
The weighting of details are a bit off. There is a lot of prose on his amateur comeback relative to his earlier professional career. MB2437 13:46, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
Well, thats because it got significantly more coverage. It got a lot more eyes because a top player was playing amateur matches, was on a massive winning streak and the ban. Most of his career outside of his two ranking events are routine. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:33, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
I will tick this off, but I am concerned about the long-term significance of his amateur career once the dust settles. MB2437 14:47, 3 September 2025 (UTC)


#### Criterion 4
Some independent commentary on his ban would be good, with perhaps a trim to the commission's ruling, but the discussion of the incident itself passes WP:NPOV so I've ticked this off. MB2437 21:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)
"he became only the third player, after Steve Davis and Neil Robertson, to win a two-session ranking final without conceding a single frame."—I'd remove "only" and "single" as they only serve to emphasise the point. MB2437 03:25, 31 July 2025 (UTC)
Thanks for this review. Looks not too bad. I'll get to this as soon as I can. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 18:11, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
I think someone beat me to this. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:35, 5 August 2025 (UTC)
Apologies for the delay, I will get back to this over the next couple days. MB2437 16:16, 16 August 2025 (UTC)
@Mb2437 and Lee Vilenski: I've been out of action for several weeks for personal reasons. Apologies for not being involved in this review (as co-nom). Looks like Lee has been working on the changes, but I can see that it's been on hold for a while now. I'm ready to pick up and get this over the line if we all agree. Regards, Rodney Baggins .talk. 07:12, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
A couple points to iron out and then should be all good to go. MB2437 14:49, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
@Mb2437: Hi, please can you take another look at this now and let me know if any further points to clear up. Thanks, Rodney Baggins .talk. 10:38, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
No issues—happy to promote. Well done! MB2437 12:54, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
Hi Rodney, sorry for jumping in on this one, I really appreciate it. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 11:36, 14 September 2025 (UTC)