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Coronavirus survivors: Covid-19 felt worse than when I was shot, says Muay Thai camp owner who attended Lumpinee fight
- Boxing camp owner Pitak Kaewprapol was among thousands of fight fans who ignored a government order to attend an event at Lumpinee stadium
- He is one of more than 100 cases traced to the fight
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The night of March 6, 2020, started much like every other night for boxing camp owner Pitak Kaewprapol – with a visit to a fight.
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Pitak and thousands of other Muay Thai fans had packed the New Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok to watch an evening of kick-boxing, ignoring a government order just three days earlier requiring large gatherings to be cancelled or postponed.
Like many others among the crowd of fans, tourists, celebrities, trainers and promoters who packed the 5,000-capacity stadium, Pitak felt the coronavirus was an imported problem, while Muay Thai – the national sport – was a local affair.
Besides, the night promised much excitement. There were more than 10 fights on the cards, and Pitak was not about to stop a routine he had followed ever since he was a child boxer himself. He attended both out of his love for the sport and also to support the industry.
It was a costly mistake. Pitak’s symptoms began the next day.
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“I began to cough and had muscle aches. I felt the aches in my joints and in my bones. I thought I had come down with influenza,” recalled Pitak, 54.
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