A 17-year-old Chinese badminton player, Zhang Zhijie, tragically passed away due to cardiac arrest after collapsing during a match at the Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The incident occurred late Sunday during Zhang’s game against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano, with the score tied at 11-11 in the first game.
Zhang suddenly fell to the court between points and was immediately treated by medical personnel at the venue. He was then transported to the hospital by ambulance, but despite extensive efforts to revive him, Zhang succumbed to cardiac arrest later that night.
“Medical conclusions […] indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” stated Broto Happy, spokesman for the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), during a press conference.
Zhang’s parents are on their way to Yogyakarta to retrieve his body. The PBSI spokesman defended the actions of the medical staff and organizers, highlighting that the medical teams had to wait for the referee’s permission to enter the court, which led to a perceived delay.
“The world of badminton has lost a talented player,” said Badminton Asia and the PBSI in a joint statement. Zhang, who began playing badminton in kindergarten, joined China’s national youth team last year and had recently won the singles title at the Dutch Junior International.
The Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) expressed its profound sorrow over Zhang’s death, stating, “Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team.”
In a show of respect, the team tournament held a moment of silence on Monday, and the Chinese team wore black armbands before continuing the competition, eventually defeating Taiwan 3-0.
P.V. Sindhu, an Olympic silver and bronze medalist from India, called Zhang’s death “absolutely heartbreaking” and extended her condolences to his family on social media platform X.
The Badminton World Federation also expressed its grief, stating, “We offer our deepest condolences to his family, his teammates, to the Chinese Badminton Association, and the entire Chinese badminton community.”
