18 deceased accounts used to access SportSG facilities: AGO report

The Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) has published its annual report for the financial year 2023/2024, revealing significant lapses in financial governance within Sport Singapore (SportSG).

One of the most alarming findings was the inadequacy of controls over admissions to ActiveSG pools and gyms, highlighting critical weaknesses in account management and monitoring.

Use of Deceased Members’ Accounts for Admissions

The AGO discovered 283 admissions using 18 deceased members’ accounts to ActiveSG pools and gyms. Of the 18 accounts, 1 account had been used for 201 admissions.

Some of these accounts had been inactive for up to 4.8 years, underscoring severe lapses in account management and monitoring. This issue indicates a lack of effective controls over the management of ActiveSG members’ accounts and the use of non-transferable passes.

Sharing of ActiveSG Member Special Passes

SportSG collected $8.13 million in admission fees for ActiveSG pools and gyms in FY2022/23.

However, the audit uncovered 1,860 instances where members’ passes were shared, allowing unauthorized access to pools and gyms.

In many cases, members used their passes at multiple locations concurrently or within an impossibly short timeframe between different locations. This abuse indicates a lack of effective controls over the use of non-transferable passes.

Abuse of Special Passes/Per-entry Passes at Discounted Rates by Ineligible Members

There were 22,618 admissions by members who were ineligible for discounted rates, including 20,582 admissions by members who abused free admission benefits intended for seniors aged 65 and above. This misuse further highlights the inadequacies in monitoring and verifying the eligibility of members using ActiveSG facilities.

SportSG acknowledged the lapses identified by the AGO and has committed to implementing measures to address these issues. These measures include enhancing internal processes, improving transparency in admission controls, and tightening verification procedures for ActiveSG members.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has pledged to work with SportSG to rectify these lapses and strengthen financial governance.

Enhanced training for public officers, stricter enforcement of membership guidelines, and robust IT security protocols are among the measures being implemented to prevent future occurrences.