Two foreign players formerly registered with Singapore basketball club Adroit, Oleksandr Kolchenko and Sergii Pryimak, received lifetime bans from FIBA for match manipulation. The bans were announced on May 20, 2025, and bar the players from all FIBA and related activities, including those governed by the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) [1, 2, 3, 4].
The players manipulated games during the Champions League East Asia in May 2025. Kolchenko manipulated matches against both New Taipei Kings International and Hi Tech Club. He scored 10 points in each of two games against Hi Tech Club on May 2 and May 7 and 23 points combined in games against New Taipei Kings International. Pryimak scored 14 points combined against New Taipei Kings International during the same competition. Both players last appeared for Adroit during this period, ending the tournament winless and last in their group with six losses and no wins [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Basketball Association of Singapore condemned their actions, stating, "Clubs and athletes representing Singapore basketball are expected to uphold the highest standards of fair play and the integrity of the sport. BAS does not condone any actions that could undermine this commitment and we will continue to actively monitor all sanctioned tournaments and events. BAS maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against match-fixing, and we will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against anyone found to have compromised fair play" [2].
In addition to the bans, match-fixing investigations extended to the K. Star National Basketball League Division 1. In August 2025, nine individuals, including some players, were arrested for suspected involvement in fixing games. A notable incident involved a fixed match between Tagawa and Tong Whye on August 1, 2025, which Tagawa won 66-43. Following the investigation, Adroit was disqualified from the K. Star National Basketball League tournament after suspended players participated in the semi-finals, resulting in the postponement of the final [1, 3].
