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Singapore MMA event to see 250 fans get rapid COVID-19 tests

Some 250 fans will undergo a COVID-19 antigen rapid test in order to be able to attend a mixed martial arts event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday.

The One: Inside the Matrix event will be the first sporting event held in Singapore with a live audience since the city-state moved into its second phase of COVID-19 reopening.

The move comes after the successful conclusion of ONE Championship’s first pilot closed-door production on October 9, and the Singapore Government’s announcement on October 20 that it is piloting the use of pre-event COVID-19 testing at selected events.

As part of several COVID-19 safety measures, the antigen test, which is being piloted at the 12,000-capacity venue, requires every fan to take the test 24 hours prior to the event.

The COVID-19 rapid tests, though considered less accurate than the widely used PCR tests, offer the possibility of testing more people with fewer resources in less time.

One of the major advantages of the tests is that they do not require the specialist lab equipment or scientific expertise that PCR tests do — which means they can be used on the spot, like at an event, rather than being sent off for processing.

Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster for $148 SGD ($109/£84/€92) each and comes with a safe seating plan and more than $60 SGD worth of ONE-branded merchandise.

The event will be headlined by four World Title bouts involving ONE World Champion Aung La N Sang, Reinier De Ridder, Iuri Lapicus and Christian Lee, among others.

Image: William Cho / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Edited for size