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SINGAPORE \u2013 The Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) will hold a fresh election to choose their office-bearers in January, in line with the directive from Sport Singapore (SportSG).<\/p>\n
While the newly elected BAS board maintains a differing view on the legitimacy of the recent election from the national sports agency, a BAS management representative told The Straits Times on Dec 2 that it will \u201cconvene an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to hold a fresh election for the four positions contested at the 2025 AGM on or before Jan 31, 2026\u201d. <\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThis timeline ensures transparency and allows full members sufficient time to secure management endorsement for nominations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also meets the deadline given by SportSG for the convening of fresh elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Dec 1, ST reported that SportSG had sent the BAS an e-mail on Nov 24 to ask for a fresh vote, after finding what it deemed as irregularities in the national sports association\u2019s (NSA) election in September.<\/p>\n
At the BAS\u2019 AGM at its Aljunied headquarters on Sept 20, president Bob Tor retained his position as he still had one year left in his three-year term, and other office-bearers were elected.<\/p>\n
But Tor resigned in early October and was replaced by new member Seah Liang Bing. <\/p>\n
However, controversy arose during the election after eight of the 19 authorised delegates were not allowed to vote as their authorisation forms did not carry their organisation\u2019s stamps, leading to concerns over the election procedures.<\/p>\n
The requirement was introduced on Aug 28, and the eight delegates had used an earlier version of the form circulated on Aug 20 that did not specify the need for the stamp.<\/p>\n
The election proceeded after the 11 eligible delegates voted to bar the eight without stamps from participating.<\/p>\n
ST understands that while the stamp criteria is not included in the BAS constitution, the NSA had attempted to justify it by citing Clause 46.1 which states: \u201cIn all matters not provided for in this Constitution or doubts on the proper interpretation of the articles in this Constitution, the decision of the Board shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members\u201d.<\/p>\n
However, SportSG took issue with this matter, noting that the election process was not fair and transparent enough.<\/p>\n
Following discussions between the BAS and SportSG, it was agreed that member clubs which have players involved in ongoing match-fixing investigations will be allowed to vote, \u201cas there is no indication that the member organisations were aware of the individual players\u2019 actions\u201d.<\/p>\n
The BAS board representative said: \u201cHence, their rights to participate in the EOGM election remain independent of the investigations into individual players, to uphold fairness to the member organisations and maintain trust in BAS governance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sport has come under scrutiny since the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) arrested nine individuals on Aug 19 <\/p>\n for their suspected involvement in fixing<\/p>\n <\/a> National Basketball League (NBL) Division 1 games, which the BAS runs.<\/p>\n Regarding SportSG\u2019s concerns about the delay in holding the NBL Division 1 final, the BAS board confirmed after meeting the relevant team managers that the decider will be held on Jan 18 between Eng Tat Hornets and Siglap. Meanwhile, SG Basketball were awarded third place.<\/p>\n Siglap had lost 67-52 in the semi-final on Aug 27 to defending champions Adroit, <\/p>\n who were later disqualified<\/p>\n <\/a> for fielding two players under investigation for match-fixing. <\/p>\n Adroit appealed but the disqualification was upheld by the BAS appeal committee, while the two Adroit players remain suspended pending CPIB investigations. <\/p>\n The BAS board representative added: \u201cBAS will continue working closely with SportSG to navigate this challenging period and is committed to strengthening governance and meeting the standards expected of a responsible\u00a0NSA.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n