ONE Championship selected Refinery Media due to its deep experience in top quality reality and non-scripted programming, including Amazing Race Asia, Asia’s Next Top Model, SupermodelMe, Cesar’s Recruit Asia, and many other shows.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition will invite sixteen (16) contestants handpicked from around the world to compete in a high-stakes game of business and physical challenges. The winner will receive a US$250,000 job offer to work for a year directly under Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege in Singapore.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “I am impressed by Refinery Media’s creativity and experience in bringing the best non-scripted and reality programming to screens in Asia and around the world. The production quality by the Refinery Media team was second to none. We look forward to an incredible inaugural season of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”

Karen Seah, Founder of Refinery Media, stated: “We are very excited to be working with ONE Championship, a global media powerhouse that has all of the pillars to give The Apprentice a modern, edgy take with worldwide appeal. Chatri’s vision and drive will surely inspire millions of fans across the world. These ingredients are a producer’s dream come true.”

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition has started its casting process for talented, ambitious and driven individuals. For more information on casting, please visit: http://onefc.com/the-apprentice/

FlexBox HP40’s Lorenzo Baldassarri was eventually able to cruise to victory at the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain after somehow managing to stay upright during a raucous fight in the early stages, with Petronas Sprinta Racing’s Jake Dixon and Bo Bendsneyer (NTS RW Racing GP) completing the podium and both after plenty of drama of their own.

The fight raucous fight saw Baldassari battling compatriot Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Dixon on the opening lap at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, which eventually saw Marini crash out and Dixon also coming to blows with ‘Baldattack’ after an outrageous divebomb that put the Italian into the gravel. Last year’s Spanish GP winner would eventually recover though and came back past the Briton with ease to take a comfortable win.

In second it was a first intermediate class podium for Dixon as the Briton recovered from the drama, with another first time visitor to the intermediate class podium in third: Bo Bensneyder. The Dutchman converted his front row start after squeezing past both Marini and Gaviota Aspar Team’s Aron Canet at Pedrosa Corner – Turn 6.

Marini had to settle for fourth after being forced wide in that move, the Italian left unable to convert his qualifying pace into a top three, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin clinching a top five finish and a moral victory … the Spaniard was the only rider without a time penalty at the conclusion of a hectic 8-lap event.

Sixth was Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), just ahead of Canet, who failed to recover after an earlier coming together with Bendsneyder. Completing the top ten were Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up), Marcos Ramirez (American Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team).

The MotoGP™ grid!

The Turn 1 chaos! From one view… … and another

Marquez vs Petrucci Bagnaia vs Alex Marquez

Quartararo homes in on a Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Canet and Navarro get cosy… … but not quite as cosy as Canet vs Bendsneyder vs Marini

The field set off… Arbolino vs Lopez

A world champion with seven Bundesliga titles and a Champions League to his name, Neuer has long been considered the game’s best goalkeeper and is rightly credited with perfecting the ‘sweeper-keeper’ role – but less widely acknowledged is the Bayern Munich man’s unparalleled ability on the ball in building attacks.

Puzzled? Don’t be. The term ‘sweeper-keeper’ became a valid entry in the world football dictionary after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where Neuer earned praise for his convention-defying performances in charging out of his penalty area to clear opposition attacks.

Germany’s last-16 victory over Algeria is the match most often highlighted to underline the point, the 6’4″ giant having regularly saved Joachim Löw’s side with his perfectly timed interceptions, ‘sweeping’ away the danger before it could develop further.

Neuer – here racing off his line to deny Islam Slimani – made the defensive side of sweeper-keeping famous in 2014. – Pool/Getty Images

Löw praised his No.1’s “new way of interpreting how to be a goalkeeper”, but for Schalke fans it was old news. And far from simply being a destructive presence in racing off his line, the Gelsenkirchen-born custodian would actively form part in his team’s build-up play. So much so that in his 156 Bundesliga matches for the Royal Blues between 2006 and 2011, Neuer chipped in with four assists.

With such vision and accurate distribution available from the back, Schalke were no longer simply a team of 10 outfield players plus a goalkeeper, but a side with a full complement of 11 ball-players. It is a subtle but significant distinction. It is surely no coincidence that the last time Schalke won a major trophy, the 2011 DFB Cup, they did so with Neuer captaining them from the back.

The 34-year-old has honed his craft over the years. Whereas before he might dash off his line to merely clear a dangerous pass, now he readily controls the ball and often outfoxes oncoming attackers with eye-catching skills and feints before playing it to a teammate.

Watch: Neuer at the forefront of Germany’s goalkeeping revolution

Neuer is so successful at this that his pass completion rate from open play stands at 86.3 per cent (from 772 attempted passes). Compare that with his contemporaries at the other clubs currently in the top five and, well, there really is no comparison: Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach/79.8 per cent); Peter Gulacsi (RB Leipzig/77.3); Roman Bürki (Borussia Dortmund/74.4); and Lukas Hradecky (Bayer Leverkusen/71.9).

He makes this aspect of the game as much a part of his training routine as the other fundamental facets that make him such a phenomenal player. He is always involved when Bayern’s outfield players perform their rondos: one-touch drills with one or two players in the middle of a circle, trying to get the ball off the teammates surrounding them. And during goalkeeper-specific exercises, he crosses balls into the box for his fellow custodians to catch, doing so with unerring precision each time.

“I think he could easily play as an outfield player in the third division” said Germany goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke. Bayern and Germany legend Miroslav Klose is equally convinced of his former teammate’s ability on the ball: “I think he’d definitely get a few goals as a striker in Bundesliga 2.”

Neuer (l.) is trusted to send in crosses in Bayern training such is his ability with the ball at his feet. – imago images / Passion2Press

Neuer himself takes a far more pragmatic view of his approach: “In modern football it’s all about winning the ball back as early as you can and getting to the opposition’s goal as quickly as possible. In order to do that as a goalkeeper, I obviously have to play a slightly more attacking style.”

And he does so better than anyone else. According to Opta, in the current season Neuer has been involved in 49 passing sequences that have led to Bayern having a shot on goal – the highest tally of any goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues.

For context, Roma’s Pau Lopez is next on the list with 41, ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea, 40), Mat Ryan (Brighton & Hove Albion, 39) and Ederson (Manchester City, 37). Other ball-playing goalkeepers to have adopted Neuer’s sweeper-keeper strategy, such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Alisson Becker, do not even make the top five.

And while imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery, it is not only what Neuer does but how he does it. Such is his sense of timing in coming off his line as last man that Neuer has never been sent off, all while transmitting an air of ease and composure to teammates and spectators alike. “On the sidelines you’re calm and you don’t get nervous because you always get the sense that he knows what he’s doing,” said Köpke.

It should come as no surprise, then, that even as he approaches his 35th birthday Neuer remains the undisputed first-choice for club and country. He has played in all 37 of Bayern’s competitive games this season, kept a league-high 10 clean sheets, only conceded four goals in eight games in 2020 and is the only goalkeeper in Bundesliga history with over 100 top-flight appearances to concede less than a goal per game on average (0.78).

“Through my attacking positional play I want to help the team whenever I can,” Neuer said. “As a goalkeeper you’re often a lone wolf, but out on the pitch I guess I have sort of a helper’s syndrome.” Sweeper, playmaker, helper; whatever the right term may be, it continues to be incredibly effective for the best goalkeeper in the world.

The highly contagious virus, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally, will be at various stages of spread and infection in different countries by next summer, making it hard to pull off a large-scale international event, some health policy experts say. Under such a scenario, guests and athletes from more than 200 countries and regions would require extensive testing and quarantines — a logistical process that may not be feasible.

“Japan may be able to contain the virus by next year’s games” but other regions like the U.S., Africa or Brazil may not, creating an uneven playing field for athletes, said Norio Sugaya, a visiting professor at Keio University’s School of Medicine in Tokyo and a member of a World Health Organization panel advising on pandemic influenza. “It’s going to be tough to hold the Olympics.”

Sugaya’s concern is echoed by Yoshito Niki, a visiting professor of infectious disease at Showa University, who warns that the world will need at least two years to contain the virus as infections return in the northern and southern hemispheres when they enter their winter seasons. If the games are to be pushed ahead regardless, spectators would have to be shut out and athletes would have to travel to Japan a month in advance for testing, he said. That raises the question of whether it will be even worth having the event at all, he said.

If extensive testing and quarantining of guests are needed, that would add to the massive logistical task of rescheduling the games, which include rearranging contractors, securing venues and ensuring the multitude of stakeholder interests are aligned. At stake are billions of dollars in sponsorship money and broadcast rights.

A timely development of a vaccine would be one sliver of hope, but even that’s optimistic as it may take three years for it to reach some of the poorer countries, Niki said. While more than 100 experimental vaccines are in some stage of development, according to the WHO, it will take more than a year to ensure their effectiveness and safety, according to Sugaya. Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said Friday that the games will not hinge on the development of a vaccine, Kyodo News reported.

Organizers and Japanese government officials have said that if the games do not happen in 2021, then they will likely be canceled. The summer games have been rescheduled for July 23 to Aug. 8 of next year.

“If the virus isn’t contained by then, the Olympics will be difficult to pull off in its complete form,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday.

The games, originally scheduled to be held this summer, were postponed as the pandemic raged across the U.S. and Europe. Over 3.2 million people have been infected. While Japan is seeing some success in containing the virus after declaring a state of emergency in early April — which is set to be extended by a month — limited testing makes it hard to grasp the true scale of infections. Japan has about 14,000 confirmed cases, far less than some other major economies.

It’s also going to be a challenge to make the competition fair, with the virus affecting the competing nations in different ways and at different times.

“If the pandemic spikes at different times in different zones, creating a devastating staggering, it will produce an unlevel playing field for the athletes,” Rick Burton, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University, said in an e-mailed statement. “That could mean some Olympians would be cleared to resume regular training activities at different points of time. That advantage would not fit the Olympic ideal.”

The Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain takes place this Sunday at 3pm (GMT +2), with the MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes all suiting up to do digital battle in a world first event. The star-studded line-up will be taking on the challenge on the new official MotoGP™20 Videogame from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone; racing around the legendary Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto in Andalucia.

This time there’s more than glory at stake, however, as the event is in aid of MotoGP™’s official charity Two Wheels for Life to support their fight against Covid-19. The campaign is open for donations now and Dorna Sports begins the fundraising drive with a donation of €20,000! Fans and supporters can make their donations HERE, and links will also be available on social media throughout the broadcast of the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain.

Two Wheels for Life works with on-the-ground partners Riders for Health in a number of African countries, supporting African run and led healthcare initiatives using motorcycles. Experts in healthcare delivery across the continent, Riders for Health use their unique systems to ensure motorcycles and other vehicles run reliably, allowing health workers to access difficult-to-reach communities and villages delivering services such as child immunisation and emergency health transport, as well as ensuring test results can be taken to labs and returned swiftly to enable diagnoses.

As stated, the campaign to support this vital work is now open, and it runs until a week after the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain so there’s plenty of time to get involved. Click HERE to visit the page and donate, and make sure to tune in to the event on Sunday. The broadcast begins at 3pm (GMT +2), with qualifying highlights shown before each race. Moto3™ lead the way before Moto2™ take over to make their virtual racing debuts, with MotoGP™ then taking centre stage.

Fans can watch on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport channels), MotoGP eSport Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (via both the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport pages) and on Twitch (via MotoGP and MotoGP eSport). And after the races, stay tuned as there will be LIVE ‘Press Conferences’ on MotoGP™ Instagram to debrief the day’s action, with MotoGP™ live at 17:00, Moto2™ at 17:30 and Moto3™ at 18:00!

Watch the trailer for the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain!

TO ACCOUNT FOR 1-YEAR DELAY OF TOKYO2020 OLYMPIC GAMES

In light of the one-year delay, athletes now will accumulate Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) points through a period ending on 21 June 2021 for the men and 28 June 2021 for the women. The field for both men and women will consist of 60 players.

The OGR is based on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for men and the Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR). On March 20, the Governing Boards of the OWGR and WWGR determined the rankings would be suspended due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. An announcement about the resumption of each respective ranking will be made in due course.

The IGF’s announcement of the revision followed the IOC’s decision to postpone the Olympic Games and its subsequent release of the revised principles for Olympic qualification on 2 April 2020 that included the relaxation of the maximum two-year period and amendments to the qualification deadlines. The IGF revised the dates within the current qualification system to reflect these new dates and submitted the revised version to the IOC Qualification taskforce for approval.

“Having received from the IOC confirmation of the dates for when the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held and the qualification principles, the fairest and most equitable way to determine the qualifying athletes was to align the previous qualification system with these new dates,” said Antony Scanlon, IGF Executive Director. “We are pleased that the IOC swiftly approved these changes to provide clarity on this important area. The IGF will continue to work closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to address the other areas that the postponement of the Games affects our sport and our athletes, to develop the necessary plans to resolve these. We remain fully committed to providing safe and fair golf competitions and a memorable experience for our athletes when these Olympic Games are held in 2021.”

The OGR is calculated as follows: Each tournament earns a strength-of-field rating which determines how many ranking points will be awarded to top finishers.  Points are awarded to players based on their finish positions in each event, with performances in stronger-field events earning more points in accordance with a points distribution table approved by the IGF.

With the revision, ranking points for each player accumulate over a multi-year rolling period with the points awarded in the most recent 13-week period weighted at 100 percent of their original value. After the initial 13-week period, points are devalued by 1.1 percent for each of the next 91 weeks (during which the ranking was not suspended) before they drop entirely off the player’s record. Each player is then ranked according to his/her average number of points, which is determined by dividing the total number of ranking points she/he has earned by the number of tournaments in which she/he has played during that period. There is a minimum divisor of 35 events for the Women’s OGR while for the Men’s OGR, there is a minimum divisor of 40 events and a maximum divisor of 52 events.

In the event of ties at any of the 60 starting positions, the ties will be broken by the following criteria, in order:

• Total Official World Golf Ranking points earned in the most recent 52-week period, ending with the Olympic Golf Ranking as of Monday 21 June 2021 for the men and Monday 28 June 2021 for the women.

• Total Official World Golf Ranking points earned in the most recent 13-week period, ending with the Olympic Golf Ranking as of Monday 21 June 2021 for the men and Monday 28 June 2021 for the women.

The top-15 players at the end of the qualifying period will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top-15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top-15. The host country will be guaranteed a spot, as will each of the five continental regions.

“Today we announced the cancellation of the three Grands Prix; Germany, Assen and Finland. The reason is because we are contemplating the possibility to start in July but the problem is with the situation and authorities it will be difficult to do with spectators, so any of these Grands Prix without spectators is very difficult to do. It’s for that reason that we’ve decided with the three local promoters to pass onto next year with those three, instead of putting them on a new date.”

Q: It’s the first time that Assen will have not been on the calendar…

“This is the situation. This coronavirus problem is something we’ve never seen and so unfortunately it’s not a possibility. The authorities of the Netherlands have forbidden events until the end of August and so it’s completely impossible. After that in Assen it will be difficult to organise a Grand Prix and more difficult again without spectators.”

Q: F1 have announced their calendar. So what could a possible MotoGP™ calendar look like?

“Our idea right now is to start at the end of July. Where and when are still to be decided. We’re sure our initial program is to start in Europe and race from the end of July until November and see what’s happening, and if the non-European races will be possible after November. In the worst case, if it’s not possible to travel outside of Europe, we’ll at least keep a Championship of least 10 to 12 races between the end of July and the end of November.”

Q: Bridgepoint have bought 10,000 coronavirus tests. What can you tell us about this?

“We are working just on the 10,00 coronavirus tests which we agreed with Bridgepoint. Then what we are doing is to try to make a protocol, which is the way we’re working within Dorna now to see how the races could be without spectators and with a limited number of people working in the paddock, which will give different situations regarding transportation, accommodation, hospitality. Then everyone will be tested before leaving their house, then tested when they arrive at the circuit and also when they return home. This is the idea. We are working with another company which belongs to Bridgepoint to acquire these 10,000 tests.”

Q: What’s the possibility of having multiple races at the same circuit?

“We are considering that. To do maybe – not during the same race weekend – doing two consecutive race weekends at the same circuit.”

Q: How are conversations with the riders, teams and manufacturers?

“We have regular contact. Two weeks ago we had a meeting with all the manufacturers together and we decided the technical situation for 2020 and 2021 for the three categories. Then I’m speaking regularly with everyone about our plans for the near future. We are doing that. Some of the riders call me and I’m happy to discuss the situation with them. I must say that everybody is healthy and looking forward to starting as soon as possible. They understand that the situation is different and everybody’s happy to try to start as soon as we can, but in a safe manner.

“The first program we are thinking of the possibility to move by car if necessary but I think that by July, with many safety measures, it will be possible to fly within Europe.”

Q: What message do you have for the fans?

“Our main thing is to maintain our fantastic numbers regarding the interest in MotoGP around the world. Unfortunately this year it seems it will not change during the season. It will be difficult to have spectators at the races but we will have our fantastic television coverage which will permit the majority of people to watch the races.

“After many months without motorcycle races, the expectation for that will bring many people to watch them.

“My message is that we’ll be sure to come back and we’ll be back stronger from this situation. We’re not working just on 2020 but on 2021 and beyond and we’re trying to maintain the races, which is the most important thing.”

Q: How many staff will be present in the paddock? How will we implement the reduction in personnel?

“We talked to the teams and arrived at a consensus that maximum number for a MotoGP manufacturer team will be 40, for satellite or independent teams will be 25, 20 for Moto2 and 15 for Moto3. Then there will be, of course, all the people who produce the television signal; all this crew, then the minimum number of people from Dorna who are in charge of race organisation. This will give us an average of around 1600 people. This is the possibility to control the MotoGP family. Unfortunately at the moment there will be no media and no TV. Maybe, but not sure, maybe some photographers to supply images to everybody.”

Q: What’s the situation with WorldSBK?

“With Superbike we are in the same situation. We are working. The idea is that because many of the circuits we will plan to be at for MotoGP also do Superbike races, then we will be maybe able to have a Superbike race the weekend immediately after a MotoGP race. This is something we are studying together with the Superbike people to work out the best calendar but it’s also a priority for us to have Superbike races.”

He said the ministry has cooperated with various organisations, such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thailand E-Sports Federation, PTG Energy, Garena Online (Thailand) and Netease Games.

“We would like to thank PTG Energy for money to organise this tournament,” he said. “Meanwhile, we would like to thank Garena Online and Netease Games for permission to use the games in a tournament and publicise the event on the company’s online platform without any charge.”

Phipat said the competition would feature three games – Arena of Valour, League of Legends and Identity V.

“Applicants must compete with others via omu.gg, the online e-sports competition platform in Thailand. The competition is scheduled from May 4 to July 31,” he said.

Phipat believes this project will help promote the industry as it creates e-sport players able to compete in international tournaments and shows that Thailand is ready to host world-class e-sports competitions.

“I hope this activity will draw foreign tourists who are interested in e-sports,” he added. “Although e-sports are a new type of sports that should be promoted, people still need to exercise and take up conventional sports regularly because of the health benefits.”

MotoGP™’s first ever Virtual Races were an incredible success, providing some much needed Sunday afternoon adrenaline for many in the MotoGP™ community. Subsequently, Dorna Sports then announced an exciting world first: the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain. The event is in aid of the official charity of MotoGP™, Two Wheels for Life, and will be broadcast at 3pm (GMT +2) on Sunday the 3rd of May – with all three Grand Prix classes will racing it out on the eSport stage for the first time ever.

In partnership with Dorna Sports, Two Wheels for Life have launched a new campaign with a goal of raising funds for their vital work fighting coronavirus on two wheels – ensuring the delivery of test results, education and equipment to hard to reach communities to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and other dangerous diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Find out more and donate HERE, with donations open NOW until a week after the event.

The line-ups for the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain are certainly star studded as the sport shows its support. The MotoGP™ grid will be 11 riders and they’ll compete over 13 laps – the equivalent of 50% of race distance – whilst the Moto2™ and Moto3™ grids both comprise 10 riders competing over eight laps, which is 35% of race distance. In addition, for the first time since its release on the 23rd of April, the riders will now be playing on the new official MotoGP™20 Videogame from videogame developer, publisher and longstanding partner Milestone.

This time, highlights from qualifying will be shown before the three races, with those sessions set to decide the grid before the broadcast. The order will follow a normal Grand Prix weekend as Moto3™ race first, followed by Moto2™, before MotoGP™ take to the stage thereafter. Fans can watch the whole show from 3pm on motogp.com and esport.motogp.com, on selected TV broadcasters, and across social media platforms including YouTube (via the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport channels), MotoGP eSport Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (via both the MotoGP and MotoGP eSport pages).

Broadcast partners showing coverage of the event will include Sky Italy, Canal+ in France, DAZN (in Spain, Italy and DACHS), BT Sport in the UK, ServusTV in Austria and Germany, Viasat in Sweden, NBC in the USA, Fox Brazil and ESPN in Latin America, Motorsport TV Russia, Eurosport India, Fox Asia, Fox Australia, TEN, and SuperSport across Africa.

After the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain, there will also be a post-race Press Conference for each class on MotoGP™’s Instagram! These will take place after the event, LIVE: MotoGP™ at 17:00, Moto2™ at 17:30 and Moto3™ at 18:00.

The MotoGP™ line-up:Repsol Honda Team: Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez

Ducati Team: Danilo Petrucci

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP: Maverick Viñales

Team Suzuki Ecstar: Alex Rins

Petronas Yamaha SRT: Fabio Quartararo

Pramac Racing: Francesco Bagnaia

Reale Avintia Racing: Tito Rabat

Red Bull KTM Tech 3*: Miguel Oliveira, Iker Lecuona

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini: Lorenzo Savadori

*Red Bull KTM Factory Racing cede their place on the grid to Red Bull KTM Tech 3

LCR Honda Idemitsu rider Takaaki Nakagami is unable to take part due to MotoGP™20 availability in his region. LCR Honda Castrol rider Cal Crutchlow is unable to take part in virtual races.

The Moto2™ line-up:Red Bull KTM Ajo: Jorge Martin

Flexbox HP 40: Lorenzo Baldassarri

Italtrans Racing Team: Enea Bastianini

American Racing: Marcos Ramirez

Beta Tools Speed Up: Jorge Navarro

Liqui Moly Intact GP: Marcel Schrötter

Aspar Team: Aron Canet

Petronas Sprinta Racing: Jake Dixon

NTS RW Racing GP: Bo Bendsneyder

Sky Racing Team VR46: Luca Marini

The Moto3™ line-up:Aspar Team Gaviota: Albert Arenas

Leopard Racing: Dennis Foggia

SIC58 Squadra Corse: Niccolo Antonelli

Kömmerling Gresini Moto3: Gabriel Rodrigo

Rivacold Snipers Team: Tony Arbolino

Red Bull KTM Ajo: Raul Fernandez

Estrella Galicia 0,0: Sergio Garcia

Red Bull KTM Tech 3: Deniz Öncü

Sterilgarda Max Racing Team: Alonso Lopez

BOE Skull Rider Facile Energy: Ricardo Rossi

Keep up to date with everything across social media platforms as Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain gets ready to go racing on Sunday the 3rd of May at 15:00 (GMT+2) – and don’t forget to tune in for the post-race Press Conferences on Instagram after the event!

Watch the trailer for the Red Bull Virtual Grand Prix of Spain! 

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “It is with great excitement that I announce the inaugural ONE Championship Official Rankings. The rankings will bring more clarity and transparency for our athletes as they chase their dreams for a world championship title. Fans can also follow their favorite athletes and their journeys more closely as they climb or fall in the rankings.”

An independent panel of top sports media and industry experts will determine the rankings after each event based on criteria such as wins/losses, most recent performances, and quality of opponents. Athlete ranking updates will be published after each event on http://www.ONEFC.com and the ONE Super App.

ONE Independent Rankings Panel (as of April 27, 2020):

Tom Taylor – BJPenn.com

Stewart Fulton – MMA in Japan

Nicolas Atkin – South China Morning Post

Ian Shutts – Lowkick MMA

Santino Honasan – ABS-CBN

JM Siasat – GMA Network

Manabu Takashima – MMA Planet

Yuji Kitano – Abema TV Japan

James Goyder – AsianMMA.com

Marcelo Alonso – Tatame Magazine

Sazali Abdul Aziz – Straits Times

Worapath Arunpakdee – Thairath TV

Poptorn Roongsamai – Champ Magazine

Wanlop Sawasdee – MGR Online

Adam Kayoom – Former Athlete

Ann Osman – Former Athlete

Rich Franklin – Former Athlete

Miesha Tate – Former Athlete

ONE Championship Official Rankings (as of April 27, 2020)

Strawweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Joshua Pacio

1. Yosuke Saruta

2. Yoshitaka Naito

3. Rene Catalan

4. Alex Silva

5. Lito Adiwang

Strawweight Kickboxing 

World Champion: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao

1. Astemir Borsov

2. Wang Junguang

3. Rocky Ogden

4. Josh Tonna

5. Daren Rolland

Strawweight Muay Thai

World Champion: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao

1. Josh Tonna

2. Rocky Ogden

3. Daren Rolland

4. Andy Howson

5. Rui Botelho

Flyweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Adriano Moraes

1. Demetrious Johnson

2. Danny Kingad

3. Kairat Akhmetov

4. Yuya Wakamatsu

5. Reece McLaren

Flyweight Kickboxing

World Champion: Ilias Ennahachi

1. Rodtang Jitmuangnon

2. Superlek Kiatmoo9

3. Walter Goncalves

4. Panpayak Jitmuangnon

5. Elias Mahmoudi

Flyweight Muay Thai

World Champion: Rodtang Jitmuangnon

1. Panpayak Jitmuangnon

2. Superlek Kiatmoo9

3. Jonathan Haggerty

4. Elias Mahmoudi

5. Petchdam Petchyindee Academy

Bantamweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Bibiano Fernandes

1. Kevin Belingon

2. Shoko Sato

3. Yusup Saadulaev

4. Shuya Kamikubo

5. Daichi Takenaka

Bantamweight Kickboxing

World Champion: Alaverdi Ramazanov

1. Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

2. Sangmanee Sathian MuayThai

3. Zhang Chenglong

4. Liam Harrison

5. Rodlek P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym

Bantamweight Muay Thai

World Champion: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao

1. Sangmanee Sathian MuayThai

2. Bobo Sacko

3. Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai

4. Alaverdi Ramazanov

5. Muangthai P.K. Saenchaimuaythaigym

Featherweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Martin Nguyen

1. Christian Lee

2. Koyomi Matsushima

3. Thanh Le

4. Tetsuya Yamada

5. Garry Tonon

Featherweight Kickboxing

World Champion: Vacant

1. Giorgio Petrosyan

2. Superbon Banchamek

3. Tayfun Ozcan

4. Samy Sana

5. Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex

Featherweight Muay Thai

World Champion: Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy

1. Superbon Banchamek

2. Jamal Yusupov

3. Jo Nattawut

4. Samy Sana

5. Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex

Lightweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Christian Lee

1. Iuri Lapicus

2. Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev

3. Pieter Buist

4. Timofey Nastyukhin

5. Shinya Aoki

Lightweight Kickboxing

World Champion: Regian Eersel

1. Nieky Holzken

2. Mustapha Haida

3. Anthony Njokuani

4. Andy Souwer

5. Elliot Compton

Women’s Atomweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Angela Lee

1. Denice Zamboanga

2. Meng Bo

3. Lin Heqin

4. Mei Yamaguchi

5. Gina Iniong

Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing 

World Champion: Janet Todd

1. Stamp Fairtex

2. Alma Juniku

3. Chuang Kai Ting

4. Anne Line Hogstad

5. Ekaterina Vandaryeva

Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai 

World Champion: Stamp Fairtex

1. Janet Todd

2. Anne Line Hogstad

3. Alma Juniku

4. Ekaterina Vandaryeva

5. Rudzma Abubakar

Women’s Strawweight Mixed Martial Arts 

World Champion: Xiong Jing Nan

1. Tiffany Teo

2. Michelle Nicolini

3. Angela Lee

4. Ayaka Miura

5. Maira Mazar