SINGAPORE – Two foreign players previously registered with local basketball club Adroit have been banned for life by FIBA for match-fixing, the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) announced on July 15.
Ukrainians Oleksandr Kolchenko and Sergii Pryimak were found to have manipulated the club’s game against New Taipei Kings International, and Kolchenko was found to have further manipulated the club’s game against Hi Tech Club, during the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia-East in May 2025, BAS said in a statement.
The BCL Asia-East is a regional competition featuring the top professional clubs from the East and South-east Asian regions, and one of the qualifying paths towards the BCL Asia competition.
Kolchenko netted 10 points each in two games against Hi Tech Club on May 2 and 7, 2025, while scoring 23 points in two games against New Taipei Kings International, according to statistics on the FIBA website.
Pryimak bagged a combined 14 points against New Taipei Kings International in two games.
The two players are banned for life from participating in any FIBA or FIBA-related activities, in any capacity, according to a FIBA judgment released on May 20. This lifetime ban also applies to BAS’ activities.
BAS said it takes a serious view of the “unacceptable actions which have severely undermined the principles of fair play and impacted the reputation of Singapore basketball”.
It added: “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.”
Both Kolchenko and Pryimak last featured on the court in 2025, for Adroit in the BCL Asia-East competition, according to their respective profiles on the FIBA website.
Their last appearance for the club in the tournament was in a 76-62 loss to eventual winners Broncos of Mongolia on May 14, 2025.
Adroit were winless in six games to finish at the bottom of the four-team Group B, and did not progress further in the competition then.
In August 2025, nine people – eight Singaporeans and one permanent resident aged between 19 and 35 – were arrested for their suspected involvement in fixing matches in the national basketball league that year.
Among them were players from the teams taking part in Division 1 of the competition.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said then that one of the matches that was allegedly fixed was between Tagawa and Tong Whye, which took place on Aug 1. Tagawa won 66-43.
Ten teams took part in Division 1 of the competition that year – Adroit HB, Scholar Basketball Academy, Tagawa, Chong Ghee, Allinton Eng Tat Hornets, SG Basketball, Siglap Basketball Club, Xin Hua, Tungsan and Tong Whye.
The BAS issued suspension letters to eight players – two each from Adroit, Tagawa, Tong Whye and Chong Ghee – after announcing that officials or players who had been arrested would be immediately suspended from league activities.
Division 1 finalists Adroit were later disqualified for fielding suspended and ineligible players in their semi-final win over Siglap on Aug 27, 2025. These players had been suspended as they were under investigation for allegedly fixing league games.