ONE: ‘Hope’ is currently scheduled for Singapore on April 17th. But there is no certainty the fight card will go ahead and the promotion’s CEO / Founder, Chatri Sityodtong, admitted as much in an interview with Bleacher Report.
“I don’t want to comment prematurely, but I will say that the April events are looking very tough. We’re scrambling because of all the changing conditions,” he said.
However he was adamant that, as of now, the behind closed doors fight cards which are set for April 17th, April 24th, May 1st and May 8th are still on,
“Right now, our schedule stands as is. However, there’s a lot of shuffling going on behind the scenes. Everyday life is being impacted in many different countries day by day.”
Singapore recently ordered all entertainment venues to close and restricted gatherings, outside of work or school, to ten people. Shopping centres, museums and other attractions remain open provided there is no more than one person occupying every 16 square metres of usable space.
Whether this would allow ONE Championship to put on a behind closed doors fight card is open to conjecture. But there are also severe restrictions on movement, with Singapore recently closing its doors to short term visitors.
Yesterday Singapore confirmed there were 49 new coronavirus, or Covid-19, cases. The majority came from local residents returning to the country from overseas.
If ONE Championship is able to put on a fight card in Singapore it will have to consist exclusively of locally based fighters. In the Bleacher Report interview Chatri acknowledges that having so many people quarantined could lead to an unprecedented opportunity in terms of the online audience.
However he is also adamant ONE Championship won’t cut any corners in the race to put on a fight card,
“For ONE the safety and health of our athletes, fans, staff and general public (is) the priority.”
