The Badminton Federation of China on Monday expressed its condolences after the death of Zhang Zhijie, a promising 17-year-old player of the Chinese national team, during a match at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.
Zhang, born on January 30, 2007, suddenly collapsed on June 30 during the final group stage match of the tournament in the city, located in the centre of Indonesia’s most populous island of Java.
Organizers said that despite immediate rescue efforts by the Chinese team and tournament medical staff, Zhang died in hospital at 23:20 local time (16:20 GMT).
The Badminton Association of China expressed its “deep sorrow” and extended its condolences to the young athlete’s family, also thanking them for the support received from various sectors of society.
The young man, originally from Jiaxing (Zhejiang province, China), joined the national junior team in 2023 and had won numerous titles, including the men’s individual championship and the team championship in Group B of the 2023 and 2024 Badminton Junior Championships in China.
Questions asked over response time
The event has sparked criticism and debate on social media in China over the effectiveness of the medical response during the event.
Spectators and medical professionals have questioned the lack of use of automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the venue.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the Badminton Federation of Asia and the Badminton Association of Indonesia said Zhang Zhijie “was taken by the available emergency ambulance and transported to hospital in less than two minutes”, but that “unfortunately the young man’s life could not be saved”.
At present, the local hospital has not yet identified the cause of death and the investigation continues.