One C’ship returns to major shows in Bangkok in July
BELGRADE: World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has found support in his country’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic who has backed the Serbian ater he was heavily criticised following the Adria Open fiasco.
“Every part of him. He tried to do something good for the whole region,” Brnabic said in an interview with Pinktv.
“To put politics aside and help young and non-established tennis players, as well as to raise money for humanitarian purposes. If they could shit the blame on me personally, as Prime Minister, and leave Novak alone, I would love it,” she added.
Earlier, Manchester United and Serbian footballer Nemanja Matic also launched a passionate defense of compatriot Djokovic.
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Victor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 ater atending the Belgrade leg of the exhibition event recently. Djokovic’s wife had also been diagnosed with COVID-19 and also NBA star Nikola Jokic, who atended the event in the capital city of Serbia. Matic, however, came to the aid of under-fire Djokovic and stated everything was going normally in Serbia and it wasn’t Djokovic’s fault that so many people ended up contracting the virus.
“People need to understand that the situation in Serbia was beter than here. The country allowed everyone to do whatever they want, everything was open, the shopping centres and the restaurants,” Matic told Sky Sports.
“So they started to live normal lives because our country was closed for three months completely. You were not allowed to walk on the street, you couldn’t leave your home, so it was different (than England).”
While some unofficial tournaments have been played without spectators in the stands, such as the Batle of the Brits exhibition tournament in London, the Adria Tour atracted a capacity crowd in the Serbian capital city of Belgrade.
“When they opened they said, ‘you are more than free to do whatever you want’,” Matic added. “Before that tournament, there was a game with 20,000 people and nobody said anything about that.
“I just wanted to say that it is not his fault that he made the tournament, he just wanted to help the players play competitions. I don’t see that he (did) something wrong.”
BANGKOK: One Championship will return to major competition with a show in Bangkok on July 31.
The prominent Asia-based mixed martial arts promotion confirmed its plan on Monday.
One Championship hasn’t held an event featuring its top athletes since late February ater the coronavirus pandemic shut down many public gatherings in the promotion’s native Singapore and across Asia. One held two second-tier events in Shanghai earlier this month featuring kickboxing fights and minor MMA bouts.
One also laid off at least 20% of its workforce earlier this month, and it raised eyebrows around the sports world by couching the announcement in a news release trumpeting an addition of $70 million in outside investment to the promotion’s coffers.
One has confirmed two muay thai championship fights and a kickboxing match for its return show, which will be held without fans in Bangkok. One didn’t immediately announce any MMA bouts, but plans to do so shortly.
One is the latest promotion to join the gradual return to competition for combat sports, which face less daunting personal safety obstacles than most team sports due to the relatively small number of essential people involved in a fight. Those advantages are counterbalanced by the diffuse base of its competitors - particularly in the One promotion, which spans Asia and includes several prominent fighters from around the world.
The UFC took only eight weeks off before returning May 9 with a string of eight consecutive events, and the promotion is headed to Abu Dhabi next week for four shows. Invicta will return Thursday with a show in Kansas, while Combate Americas will hold three shows in a closed TV studio in Miami starting Aug. 28. The Bellator promotion still hasn’t announced a date for its return to competition.
CEO Chatri Sityodtong told the AP last week that he hopes to hold shows in China, Thailand and Singapore this summer, and he has been coordinating with governments across Asia to get his fighters to the events.
“Most national borders remain closed in Asia, and this has posed unique logistical and operational challenges,” Sityodtong said. “However, our superstar team at One Championship continues to work hard to deliver fans the authentic martial arts experiences they crave. Our athletes are ready to showcase their skills and tell their stories.”