Wuhan Zall, the Chinese Super League (CSL) team from the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, made an emotional return to the city after more than three months torn from their families.
Zall endured a turbulent 104 days on the road, including being stranded in Spain, because Wuhan in January was sealed off when the virus killed and infected thousands there.
The city is now emerging from its weeks-long lockdown and hundreds of chanting fans met the Zall players when they arrived at Wuhan’s main railway station late on Saturday, state media reported.
Photo: AFP
Wearing masks, the players had bouquets of flowers thrust into their hands while supporters clad in the team’s orange colors held banners and sang.
“After more than three months of wandering, the homesick Wuhan Zall team members finally set foot in their hometown,” the team said on social media.
The squad, led by Spanish coach Jose Gonzalez, are to spend a few days at home before resuming training on Wednesday.
“The local players will be reunited with their families, having not seen them for more than three months,” said Zall, who finished sixth last year in the top-flight CSL. “The club is very grateful for the support and understanding of the players’ families.”
The squad’s return home is the final chapter in a long saga.
They began training for the new CSL season, since postponed indefinitely, in early January in the southern city of Guangzhou.
They flew to Malaga, Spain, toward the end of January, by which time the city of Wuhan and its 11 million people were under harsh restrictions because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
“They are not walking viruses, they are athletes,” Gonzalez told Spanish media at the time, pleading for his players not to be demonized.
However, when the virus began taking hold in Spain in March, Zall made arrangements to fly back to China, where the number of infections was slowing markedly.
Wuhan was still sealed off, so the squad, via a prolonged transit in Germany, flew the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on March 16.
They went into three weeks of quarantine, followed by training in the nearby city of Foshan, before taking a high-speed train from Guangzhou to Wuhan on Saturday.
Zall are preparing for a season that still has no start date. The CSL was supposed to begin on Feb. 22, but could now begin in late June, reports have said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and