Former Masters snooker champion Yan Bingtao will continue to be barred from the sport until next year. The Chinese ace was convicted of match-fixing in 2023 along with nine other players from his homeland and will not participate in the Masters 2026.

Even Zhao Xintong, the current world champion, was caught up in the massive scandal,resulting in a hiatus of one year and eight months from the game. Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were at the forefront of the cheating scheme and received lifetime bans after being found guilty of numerous offences.

The duo's were convicted of match-fixing and pressuring other players into manipulating matches.Of the remaining eight players, five, including Yan, are still serving suspensions.

Yan was handed a four-year ban in 2023 for rigging four separate matches and placing bets on several others between 2016 and 2022. His initial seven-year and six-month ban was reduced as he confessed to the offences early and pleaded guilty.

Yan had been performing exceptionally well until this point, having won the Masters in 2021, so the scandal and subsequent ban hit him hard. His significant victory came after defeating the likes of Neil Robertson, Stuart Bingham and John Higgins.

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At just 20 years old, he became only the second Chinese player to triumph in the competition after Ding Junhui. Additionally, he was the youngest winner since Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1995.

Just 12 months before the match-fixing controversy sent shockwaves through the sport, Yan was in blistering form, knocking out Mark Selby in the second round of the 2022 World Championship.

He came agonisingly close to reaching the semi-fina, but Welshman Mark Williams edged him out in the quarter-finals, prevailing 13-11.

The 25-year-old, who celebrates his 26th birthday in a few weeks, won't be back on the snooker circuit until December 2027.

Zhao Xintong, Chang Bingyu and Zhao Jianbo, who were also implicated in the scandal, have already served their suspensions and are now free to compete again.

Chang is set to return to the professional tour next season after triumphing at the Asia-Pacific Championship, with his ban expiring in December 2024. Zhao Jianbo's suspension ended late last year.

Despite the scandal casting a shadow over Chinese snooker, world champion Zhao has emerged as a hugely popular figure in the sport following his victory over Williams last year.

Reflecting on his time away from the game, Zhao said: "I had nearly two years not playing in tour competitions and that's why I said my first target was to get through qualifying to the Crucible.

"I can't believe I went on to be champion, but I am back now and I want to keep going."