ONE Championship events to be held behind closed doors

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong. ONE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — ONE Championship will continue with its scheduled events through May but will only hold its bout cards on a “closed-door, audience-free” setup, its Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said on his Facebook account.

The decision came after the spread of COVID-19 that has since become a pandemic after infecting at least 110 countries as of Thursday.

“My team and I decided to turn all events for ONE Championship into closed-door, audience-free events effective immediately,” said Sityodtong. “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.”

ONE has five events lined up until May 29 and it will start to broadcast with an initial schedule of April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8, with all of these cards happening in Singapore.

ONE Infinity 1 was originally set for Jakarta on April 10, but was moved to the Mall of Asia Arena on May 29.

“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,” said Sityodtong.

“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.”

JPV