ONE Championship Eyeing Return To Live Event Schedule
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong plans to take a very measured approach before action resumes on the global stage.
Although Sityodtong would love to squeeze in as many world-class spectacles throughout the remaining half of 2020 once restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic loosens up, the lifelong martial artist admits that safety of the staff, fans, and athletes is his top priority.
The world’s largest martial arts organization – which came in fourth in terms of cross-platform views in 2019 with 5.6 billion views, a whopping 1.8 billion views more than UFC – has given fans four incredible events since the start of the year.
Their most recent event, ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE in Singapore this past February, was done in a closed-door and audience-free setting.
“At ONE Championship, we have the same level of intensity, but I would say we are a little more prudent, because safety is our highest priority,” Sityodtong said.
“We are not in a rush to come back just for the sake of coming back due to our financial commitments to broadcasters and brands and whatnot.
“We want to come back in an environment where we are sure that we can do it safely for all parties involved.”
Apart from the safety of everyone in attendance, Sityodtong admits there are many other factors involved when it comes to producing world-class spectacles at iconic venues across Asia.
Dealing with different countries and various stakeholders means there are different rule sets to abide by. And, with the COVID-19 situation still present, each nation has tightened up their border security to halt the spread of the virus.
There may be some challenges, but Sityodtong has been in talks with government officials to get ONE Championship’s event calendar back and running in the shortest time possible.
“Different governments have different policies on their borders, as well as their lockdown policies, so that’s been a little bit tricky in getting everything up and running,” he said. “But my team and I have been working on it nonstop, and we feel pretty good about it.”
Once the organization finalizes its plans, fans can expect the largest sports media property in Asian history to give them more extraordinary shows over and over again.
