ATOX Esports CS2 players and staff receive match-fixing bans

Several Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) players and staff representing ATOX Esports have received a range of bans from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) for alleged match-fixing.

An investigation into the Mongolian esports organisation’s match-fixing activity has resulted in seven players and staff receiving suspensions ranging from eight months to lifetime bans.

According to a detailed report by the ESIC, the first indication of alleged match-fixing occurred during last year’s ESL Pro League Season 20. On March 6th, ATOX Esports was disqualified from PGL Counter-Strike events, among others, while ESIC conducted an investigation into the allegations.

As a result of the investigation, players Gan-Erdene ‘dobu‘ Batbold and Bat-Enkh ‘kabal‘ Batbayar, as well as analyst Ana-Erdene ‘nuka’ Baasantogtokh, have received lifetime bans. According to the ESIC, this is due to spearheading match-fixing and actively participating in strategies to manipulate the matches. Notably, the team’s analyst allegedly placed over 70 ‘suspicious bets’ linked to ATOX matches.

Tuguldur ‘flyNN’ Gansuk has received a three-year suspension due to neglecting his role as the team’s coach and ‘effective CEO’ of the organisation.

Meanwhile, another player, Temuulen ‘MiQ’ Byambadalai, has been given a one-year ban after receiving offers of money to remain silent regarding the match fixing.

Two other members of the roster, Otgonlkhagva ‘AccuracyTG‘ Batjargal and Munkhsaikhan ‘Zesta‘ Erdenebaatar have received eight-month suspensions after failing to report breaches of ESIC’s integrity programme to the Commission.

The bans apply to all ESIC-sanctioned esports events.

In addition to the bans, the Commission named Chinese player Song ‘xiaosaGe’ Peng, inactive ATOX Esports player Tuvshintugs ‘ANNIHILATION’ Nyamdorj, and The Huns Esports rifler Yalalt ‘yAmi’ Oyunbileg as participants who weren’t included in the suspensions.

ESIC says it is undertaking ‘subsequent investigative steps’ and will release the findings of its related participant investigation in due course.

“ESIC is committed to protecting the integrity of esports competitions,” states the report. “ESIC took quick and decisive action as soon as the evidence met the standard required, suspending all ATOX members under investigation from competition.”

Below is a full list of players and staff receiving bans:

Commissions such as ESIC are integral for maintaining the integrity of esports tournaments taking place around the world.

2025 has been a busy year of investigating players breaching its code of conduct and anti-corruption code. In April, Swedish Counter-Strike player Joel ‘joel ‘Holmlund received a lifetime ban after being caught using a hardware cheat during a tournament.