Changsha, April 16 Two doctors who fought on the frontlines against COVID-19 have been rewarded as honorary players of Hunan Changsha Yongsheng Basketball Club, a top side in China's second-tier National Basketball League (NBL).
Zhang Rusheng and Chen Jianyong, both from Changsha Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, joined the trans-provincial fight against COVID-19 in Huanggang, Hubei on February 21, reports Xinhua news agencyu.
During their 37-day stay in Huanggang, Zhang tested more than 20,000 samples, and Chen served as the leader of a local epidemiological investigation group.
After a welcome ceremony, two Yongsheng jerseys were presented to Zhang and Chen to express the club's gratitude to their contribution. Both players' jersey numbers are 20, in memory of the year 2020, according to Luo Yongbiao, the general manager of Hunan Changsha Yongsheng.
"Zhang and Chen are our honorary players now, YongSheng's home games will be free for them forever. As for those medical personnel with the Changsha CDC who have made significant contributions to the fight against COVID-19, our basketball arenas will be free for them in the coming year," a club official Luo said.
Jiang Junqi, the captain of Hunan Changsha Yongsheng, welcomed his new teammates on behalf of the team. "They will definitely inject new energy to our team. In the new season, we hope to win more games to thank them, as the life we can enjoy today is the result of their contribution,"said Jiang.
Hunan Changsha Yongsheng has already begun pre-season training, although when the new season will start is still unknown.
( With inputs from IANS )