According to sources, the incident came to light in late August when a complaint was made to the Singapore Canoe Federation. -- PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH / The Straits Times-ANN
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore’s canoeing fraternity has been rocked by controversy ahead of the Dec 9-20 SEA Games, after allegations emerged that two former senior officials had offered bribes to national athletes to pull out of an event.
The Straits Times understands that two former officials from the Singapore Canoe Federation (SCF) had in early August approached an athlete – who is part of the 16-member SEA Games squad – with a proposition. They allegedly offered to pay him between $50,000 to $60,000 to pull out of a SEA Games event to allow for another athlete to take his spot.
When the athlete refused, the duo then allegedly tried to offer the incentive to another member of the team, who also turned it down.
An individual with knowledge of the incident told ST that he was “quite shocked” by the sum of money that was being offered.
According to sources, the incident came to light in late August when a complaint was made to the SCF, which subsequently conducted an inquiry. In that meeting, the athletes involved were offered two options to resolve the matter, but these were rejected.
In a written reply to ST’s queries, the SCF said that it had “looked into the matter” when the allegations were made known.
“The inquiry found that it was a misunderstanding and there was no malicious intent. SCF maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct,” said its spokesman.
“As part of our commitment to transparency, the SCF is conducting an in-depth independent review of its inquiry process under advisement of Sport Singapore (SportSG) to ensure continued accountability and good governance.
“The SEA Games team has been selected in accordance with the established selection policy and was announced on Aug 27.”
ST understands that the two officials are no longer part of the SCF and both were not present at the federation’s annual general meeting on Sept 27, when elections were held to vote for a new executive committee. SCF members who attended the AGM declined to comment on the incident when ST visited their headquarters at the High Performance Sport Institute.
The two former officials did not respond to requests for comments.
In a reply to ST’s queries, a spokesperson for national governing body SportSG said: “Sport Singapore takes a very serious view regarding matters affecting the integrity and well-being of our sporting community, and will not hesitate to report any wrongdoing to the relevant authorities.
“We are aware that the Singapore Canoe Federation had earlier completed its inquiry into this matter and taken the necessary actions. Given the seriousness of this case, SportSG has asked SCF to also convene an independent committee to conduct a review of its inquiry process, and to strengthen SCF’s governance.
“We are also working with the newly-elected committee of SCF to ensure that our TeamSG athletes who have been selected for SEA Games 2025 by the Singapore National Olympic Council continue to be supported in their training and can focus on their preparations for their competition in December 2025.”
This latest incident comes after a number of controversies in Singapore sport.
In March, a police report was filed by SportSG after an investigation found that the Singapore Underwater Federation had submitted falsified results for the women’s 4x200m relay surface event during the selection for the 2023 SEA Games.
Five months later, nine basketballers were arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau for their suspected involvement in match-fixing fixing matches in the National Basketball League (NBL).
Among those arrested were players from the teams taking part in the competition.
NBL Division 1 finalists Adroit were subsequently thrown out of the tournament for “fielding suspended and ineligible players” who are under investigation for allegedly fixing league games in their semi-final win over Siglap on Aug 27.
In September, Singapore Cricket Association chief executive Saad Khan Janjua was handed a one-year suspension from coaching by SportSG Safe Sport Commission after it received complaints from players who detailed verbal abuse directed at them.
He was also “suspended from his role as sport administrator, subject to completion of educational intervention”.
But the punishment drew the ire of several players, who felt it was too lenient and “left players disillusioned about the system meant to protect us”. - The Straits Times/ANN
