Zhang Zhijie, a 17-year-old Chinese badminton player, passed away after collapsing on the court during a match at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as reported by Marca. The incident occurred during his match against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano on June 30, with the score tied at 11-11 in the opening game. Despite receiving immediate medical attention, Zhang was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Badminton Asia and the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) said in a joint statement on Monday, “China’s Zhang Zhijie, a singles player, collapsed on the court during a match in the evening. He was sent to the hospital where he passed away at 23:20 local time yesterday. He was attended to by the tournament doctor and medical team. He was taken in the standby ambulance in less than two minutes and sent to hospital.”
“The world of badminton has lost a talented player,” the statement added.
Recently, videos of the incident have circulated widely on the internet, depicting a 40-second delay before emergency personnel attended to Zhang Zhijie. This has sparked strong criticism towards officials, with many questioning whether quicker medical intervention could have potentially saved his life. The footage shows a man initially rushing to aid the badminton player after his collapse, but he pauses midway, apparently awaiting further instructions.
According to the BBC, a spokesman from PBSI later explained that “medical teams had to follow a rule where they needed the referee’s permission before entering the court.” He stated, “That is in accordance with the regulations and standards of procedure that applies to every international badminton tournament.” Meanwhile, the Indonesian badminton association confirmed that Zhang Zhijie had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
The young player, originally from Jiaxing in China’s Zhejiang province, joined the national junior squad in 2023 and achieved success in various championships. He notably secured team and men’s titles in Group B of the China Badminton Junior Championships in both 2023 and 2024.
The China Badminton Association also conveyed profound sadness and disbelief. “Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team,” they said. The statement continued, “At present the local hospital has not yet identified the cause of death.”
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also used X (formerly Twitter) to offer her condolences. She wrote, “Absolutely heartbreaking news coming from the Junior Asian Badminton Championships about the loss of young badminton player Zhang Zhi Jie.”
Absolutely heartbreaking news coming from the Junior Asian Badminton Championships about the loss of young badminton player Zhang Zhi Jie.
I offer my deepest condolences to Zhang’s family during this devastating time. The world has lost a remarkable talent today.
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) June 30, 2024
“I offer my deepest condolences to Zhang’s family during this devastating time. The world has lost a remarkable talent today,” she continued.