At any given event, ONE Championship has up to three doctors and a nurse backstage in the post-bout medical room ready to lend a helping hand. As the promotion’s vice president of medical services, Dr. Warren Wang has the authority to halt any bout and check on the athletes should he notice anything of concern.
Dr. Warren Wang
With the responsibility to determine if athletes are able to continue or not, Dr. Wang said it is his job to protect athletes. He explained, “Our martial artists are tough people, they will soldier on despite injury and will sacrifice a lot to get the victory, so it’s my prerogative to have the better judgement.”
Dr. Wang is also no stranger to martial arts, having trained in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 1996. The doctor based in Taiwan helped bring martial arts to mainstream public consciousness with his work as the founder of the Taiwan Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy and Tournament Director of the Taiwan BJJ Open.
“I know the specific risks that athletes take whenever they step into the cage,” Dr. Wang said. “I am able to identify which areas of the sport require critical focus.”
Staying attentive is necessary in Dr. Wang’s job. He noted, “We can’t get carried away with the excitement of these bouts, although it’s very easy to fall into that.”
“Our team has to be focused on every athlete,” Dr. Wang continued. “Could they be hurt? Are they able to defend themselves properly? Are they too exhausted to compete? These are the things we watch out for.”
Although relatively unseen cageside, Dr. Wang moves like a shadow watching matches closely as they unfold. At a moment’s notice, he is always ready to swoop in and handle all situations as they arise.
While most everyone else is fixated on the action inside the cage, Dr. Wang is busy making sure athletes are safe, amidst all the action. He joined ONE Championship in 2015 but has been with the company since 2014 under a different capacity.
CONAN Daily 