17-Year-Old Badminton Player Collapses On Court And Passes Away After ‘Sudden Cardiac Arrest’

A 17-year-old Chinese badminton player collapsed and passed away after experiencing ‘sudden cardiac arrest’ during a tournament in Indonesia.

“Zhang Zhijie was playing against Kazuma Kawano of Japan at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships on Sunday when he collapsed and had seizures,” the Associated Press reports.

Medical personnel treated Zhijie on the court and rushed him to a nearby hospital.

He was later transported to the Dr. Sardjito General Hospital in Yogyakarta.

“The conclusion of the examination and treatment of the victim at both hospitals showed the same results, namely that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesperson of Badminton Association of Indonesia, told reporters, according to the Associated Press. 

WATCH:

BREAKING: 17-year-old Chinese badminton player Zhang Zhijie has died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on the court during a tournament in Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/X5fg6GJVGH

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) July 1, 2024

From the Associated Press:

The Chinese Badminton Association offered its condolences and support to Zhang’s family, and described him as a player who “loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team.”

The Chinese association said its team’s leader, coach, doctor, translator and the tournament medical staff acted quickly after Zhang appeared to faint on the court.

“We feel deeply distressed over the unfortunate death of Zhang Zhijie from a sudden illness while competing in an international competition,” the statement said. “We express our sincere gratitude to all sectors of the society for the concern and help given to Zhang Zhijie. We will do our best to provide help to Zhang Zhijie’s family.”

WATCH:

WATCH：#Beijing mourns passing of 17-year-old Chinese badminton player pic.twitter.com/CxwMs9TxcS

— ShanghaiEyeofficial (@ShanghaiEye) July 2, 2024

17-year-old Chinese badminton player #ZhangZhijie (张志杰) has died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on the court during a tournament in Indonesia yesterday.

In an interview he received earlier, he expressed his wish to prove that he was not inferior to the other two athletes… pic.twitter.com/f6txdX7Qxu

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng (@jenniferzeng97) July 1, 2024

The Jakarta Post reports:

The spokesman defended the actions of medical staff and local organizers after footage showed what appeared to be a hesitant response to the teenager falling face down on the court.

He said that medical teams had to wait for the referee to let them on the court.

“The world of badminton has lost a talented player,” Badminton Asia and the PBSI said in a statement.

Zhang started playing badminton in kindergarten and joined China’s national youth team last year.

Earlier this year he won the singles title at the Dutch Junior International, a prestigious youth tournament.

The Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) said it was “deeply saddened”.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.