May 13, 2020

Over the past few weeks, we have received a lot of email enquiries regarding the current COVID-19 situation in Thailand, our next Muay Thai events, seminars and the reopening date of our gym. In view of the global situation and after consultation with our key partners, here are the latest updates and our current plans moving forward.

As of 13 May 2020, there have been 3017 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections reported in Thailand. The Thai government’s control measures meted out in the last 2 months to flatten the curve have met with success with daily new infections falling to single digits over the past week 

During this period, Muay Thai gyms in Thailand including ours have been ordered to close. Most of Thai fighters and trainers returned to their hometowns in the provinces outside of the capital.

The lockdown in Thailand has been extended to May 31 from the initial reopen date of 30 April. Some sectors of locations and businesses have been allowed to operate in the past week as Thai authorities began to ease the lockdown measures. 

Prior to the outbreak, we had a list of events lined up including our second biannual show in Bolton, UK as well as an official event in Australia in the later part of the year. After discussing with YOKKAO Australia promoter, Luis Regis, we have come to the decision on postponing the event in Australia to next year.

With the declining new cases in the UK, we are optimistic and are moving ahead with the preparations for the Bolton show expected to be held before the end of the year. We are taking into account that social distancing measures may still be in place. As such, there may be a change in venue or a reduction for the number of people in attendance. 

In the meantime, YOKKAO UK promoter, Brian Calder and our team continue our selection of new talents and in preparing the fight card that will include contests for the YOKKAO Diamond, World and International titles. Another massive milestone down the timeline is the global launch of our new MMA collections which will be followed by MMA events in the UK.

Besides the official events, we were originally set to make our return to stateside with Saenchai, Singdam, Manachai and Spencer on a YOKKAO Seminar USA Tour this summer. In view of the current circumstances in the USA and taking into consideration feedback from gyms in the country, we will postpone the seminar tour to next year. 

With regards to our factory in Bangkok, it is still operating and we have implemented a series of health measures for employees including social distancing guidelines, daily temperature checks as daily sanitation of the entire facility. Our warehouses in Asia, Europe and USA are also fully operative to serve our customers around the world. Our gear is currently on promotion at 30% off with promo code STAYSTRONG at our online store.

Thai authorities confirmed this week that more businesses including malls and gyms could reopen in the next two weeks if the number of new infections continue to drop for another week. The opening date of the gym has not been released yet. One possible scenario that could happen soon is that the gym would remain close to the public but will be operational for our fighters to resume training. Look out for some exciting projects planned for all of our fans and followers around the world which may include the possibility of organizing closed door events in Thailand.

Stay tuned and stay connected with us on social media for all the latest COVID-19 updates.

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Events, Seminars and Gym. During the past few weeks we have received a lot of e-mails regarding our next Muay Thai events, seminars and the re-opening of our gym. To be transparent with our fans and athletes who have competed and wish to compete for @yokkao, I will explain our plans as we are not sitting here waiting for the upcoming news on TV. UK. @calder_27 and I have been in touch with the Macron Stadium in Bolton. They are confident that they will re-open before the end of the year. When the arena opens again we will have to face the problem of social distancing. If every seat will need a distance of 1 meter between one another, the arena may not be big enough to cover the expenses. As a result we will decide how to handle the situation: to move to another arena or decrease the number of people in attendance. Meanwhile we are still selecting new talented fighters and preparing exciting fight cards as usual including fights for the YOKKAO Diamond, World and International titles. On another note, we will globally launch the new MMA collections which will be followed up by MMA events in the UK. Australia. The event planned for October will be postponed to next year. YOKKAO Tour in USA. The tour with Saenchai, Singdam, Manachai and Spencer will also be postponed to next year. YOKKAO Bangkok. Our factory is still operating, we have implemented a series of health measures for employees from intensity of cleaning to social distancing guidelines. The opening date of the gym to the public has not been released yet. One of the possibilities that could happen soon is that we will have the opprtunity to call back our fighters to train at the gym. We are planning some exciting ventures for all of you around the world. Beside this, we are also cosidering to organize close door events in Thailand. Our warehouses in Asia, Europe and USA are fully operative. The gear will be discounted at 30% OFF by using promo code STAYSTRONG at yokkao.com. On behalf of everyone at YOKKAO, I encourage every athlete, friend and fan to stay strong and positive during these hard times. We'll be back better than ever. That’s a promise. 👊

A post shared by Philip Yokkao (@philyokkao) on May 12, 2020 at 9:35am PDT