ONE Championship chief Chatri Sityodtong. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—ONE Championship had already staged several fight cards during the COVID-19 pandemic but those were strictly limited to fighters based in either Thailand and China.
In October, the promotion managed to hold two events that were open to martial artists from across several countries, largely thanks to help from the Singapore government.
“Borders across Asia are still closed so without the Singapore government we won’t be able to conduct such events,” said CEO Chatri Sityodtong in an interview with INQUIRER.net.
Sityodtong said that the Singapore government granted his promotion Green Lane visas so fighters from outside the country need only to be held in quarantine in ONE’s bubble.
Despite having its own bubble, ONE Championship still implemented strict health protocols for its athletes. Only those with negative COVID-19 test results would be allowed to leave their hotel rooms and ultimately train for their respective fights.
“ONE Championship worked in partnership with the Singapore government and Singapore is leading Asia in the return of international events, be it sports or entertainment,” said Sityodtong.
There were two cards held in China in June while Thailand, which did a tremendous job in handling the pandemic, had six events that started on July 31.
Singapore, meanwhile, is set to hold its third event on Oct. 30 with Singapore Indoor Stadium serving as the venue for all fight cards.
Team Lakay’s Eduard Folayang is part of the card. He arrived in Singapore on Wednesday.
“We are blessed and honored that they chose ONE as the first international property to come back online in Singapore and we were able to get Green Lane visas,” said Sityodtong. “We have strict health protocols not just for the athletes and staff but also for the general population.”