Zhang Zhijie, a 17-year-old Chinese badminton player, died after collapsing on the court during the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as per a report in Marca. The shuttler was playing against Japan's Kazuma Kawano in the opening game on June 30, which was tied 11-11 when he collapsed. He was immediately given medical treatment, however, he was declared dead 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.
Videos of the incident recently went viral on the internet, showing a 40-second wait before Zhang was attended to by emergency personnel. There has been harsh criticism directed at officials, with many questioning if prompt medical assistance might have saved his life. In the short clip, a man is seen running to help the shuttler after he collapses, however, he stops mid-way and waits for further instruction.
According to the BBC, a PBSI spokesman later said that "medical teams had to follow a rule where they needed the referee's permission before entering the court." He said, "That is in accordance with the regulations and standards of procedure that applies to every international badminton tournament." Meanwhile, the Indonesian badminton body declared that he had experienced a sudden cardiac arrest.
The young player, who originally hailed from Jiaxing in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, joined the national junior squad in 2023 and won many championships, including the team and men's titles in Group B of the China Badminton Junior Championships in 2023 and 2024.
The China Badminton Association also expressed deep sorrow and shock. "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 took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her condolences. She wrote, "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," she continued.
