Alleged bribery case hits Singapore canoeing, ex-officials in SEA Games-related incident

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s canoeing fraternity has been rocked by controversy ahead of the Dec 9-20 SEA Games, after allegations emerged that a former senior official had offered bribes to national athletes to pull out of an event.

The Straits Times understands that the ex-official from the Singapore Canoe Federation (SCF) had in early August approached an athlete – who is part of the 14-member SEA Games squad – with a proposition.

He allegedly offered to pay the kayaker between $50,000 and $60,000 to pull out of a SEA Games event to allow for another athlete to take his spot. According to sources, the former had been directed to do so by another ex-senior official from the federation.

When the athlete refused, the first former official then allegedly tried to offer the incentive to another team member, 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.

The incident came to light in August when a complaint was made to the SCF, which subsequently conducted an inquiry.

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 for a new executive committee.

SCF members who attended the AGM declined to comment on the incident when ST visited the meeting venue 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 SCF 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, SportSG filed A police report 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.

In August,

nine basketballers were arrested

by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau for their suspected involvement in match-fixing 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”.

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