Asian promotion ONE Championship has taken a major step in their approach to dealing with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak by announcing they are holding all of their upcoming shows in April and May behind closed doors.
The Singapore-based organization, which recently hosted its “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” event behind closed doors at Singapore Indoor Stadium, also postponed “ONE Championship 110: Heart of Heroes” in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as a result of the ongoing crisis.
Now ONE has taken things a stage further, by confirming that the organization is transitioning all of their upcoming events into behind-closed-door events until the end of May, and confirming an adjusted event schedule for the period.
In a Facebook post, ONE CEO and chairman Chatri Sityodtong officially announced the news:
BREAKING NEWS: My team and I have decided to turn all events for ONE Championship into closed-door, audience-free events effective immediately. Bar none, the safety of our fans, athletes, staff, partners, and the public is the highest priority for ONE Championship. All scheduled ONE events with live audiences will now be suspended until at least May 29, 2020 due to the extraordinary COVID-19 global situation.
For the millions of fans at home around the world, the show will go on from the comfort and safety of your living room. Our global broadcast shows behind closed doors will commence in Singapore with an initial schedule of April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8 respectively. Bout cards will be announced shortly for these broadcast-only shows, and additional dates will be added in the near future. Also, ONE Infinity Series, the world apex of martial arts events, is now slated to kick off on May 29, 2020 in Manila, Philippines with ONE Infinity 1 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
We are operating in truly extraordinary times, but my team and I remain committed to providing you the best sports and entertainment action available anywhere on global broadcast today. ONE Championship will continue to thrill you with the greatest martial artists on the planet and inspire you with their incredible stories. This virus might be on the attack right now, but I believe in the power of the human spirit. LET’S GOOOOO!!! #WeAreONE
The schedule changes mean the new ONE Infinity series events will kick off later in the month, with ONE Infinity 1 taking place on May 29 in Manila, Philippines.
The amended ONE Championship schedule for April and May includes:
- April 17 – “ONE Championship 111: Kings & Queens” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- April 24 – TBA
- May 1 – TBA
- May 8 – TBA
- May 29 – ONE Infinity 1 in Manila, Philippines