Snooker targets Olympics with new world champion Zhao Xintong on course to be 'richest player in history of the sport'

Zhao Xintong is the first Chinese winner of the World Snooker Championship and set for mega earnings moving forward

Snooker is targeting an Olympic spot after Zhao Xintong was crowned the first Chinese world champion and began his path to becoming the sport's "richest player in history".

Zhao defeated three-time winner Mark Williams 18-12 in this year's Crucible final, after thrashing seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last four in Sheffield.

The 28-year-old's triumph - which earned him £500,000 - was watched by an estimated 150 million people in China, where there are over 300,000 snooker halls.

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Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn says critics of Zhao Xintong should move on, feeling he has 'paid the price' for his part in a match-fixing scandal

Jason Ferguson, chairman of the sport's governing body, the WPBSA, wants to latch onto that popularity and enter the Olympics, possibly for the 2032 Brisbane Games.

He said: "With the size of snooker now and how important China is to the International Olympic Committee, someone has to look at this and say this is now snooker's time.

'It's a game-changer for us if we get in somewhere like the Olympics. The Paralympics may be another route for us.

"I do think Brisbane is a realistic target. Playing for medals will give us a global sport plan like we've never seen before."

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Hearn says the Crucible Theatre is 'not fit for purpose' but would like the World Championship to remain at the venue if possible

Zhao set for bumper earnings as snooker hits 'another level'

On Zhao's earning power, Ferguson added: "I think he has the potential to become the richest earning snooker player in the history of the sport.

"That's quite a bold statement when you think about the titles players like Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan have won.

"But the size of the market is huge and, when you see the association of the brands who want to partner with snooker, it has endless potential.

"This is one of the biggest occasions snooker has ever seen.

World Snooker chairman Jason Ferguson feels Zhao could earn more than Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured)

"We've seen the growth in the China market and we've seen the size and scale of grassroots development underneath that.

"But to see a world champion returning to China a national hero is really going to send the sport to another level."

However, Zhao's manager Victoria Shi will not let the new world champion get ahead of himself, saying: "Let him enjoy it, but if he enjoys it too much, I will tell him off.

"He is the first Asian world champion and that is huge. But it is my job to make sure he stays grounded."