Asian Junior Badminton Championships 2024: 17-year-old Chinese shuttler Zhang Zhijie dies after collapsing on the court
Seventeen-year-old Chinese shuttler Zhang Zhijie passed away after collapsing on the court during the ongoing Asian Junior Badminton Championship 2024 on Sunday, June 30, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Zhijie suddenly fell ill and collapsed while playing in the first game at 11-11.
Though he received immediate treatment at the venue, he was pronounced dead when taken to the hospital by the ambulance at around 11.20 pm local time on Sunday. However, the cause of his death is not known yet.
Badminton Asia, Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), and Asian Junior Badminton Championships 2024 organizers have released a joint statement regarding the news of Zhang Zhijie’s death.
“China’s Zhang Zhijie, a singles player, collapsed on the court during a match in the evening,” the statement read.
“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.
Zhang Zhijie made his national youth team debut in 2023
Having started playing badminton in kindergarten as a kid, he made his debut for China’s national youth team in 2023. Last year, he also secured the singles title at the Dutch Junior International.
China Badminton Association (CBA) said that it was “deeply saddened” after learning about the incident.
“Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team. At present the local hospital has not yet identified the cause of death,” the Chinese Badminton Association said in a statement.
All the teams participating in the Asian Junior Badminton Championships 2024 maintained a moment’s silence on Monday, July 1. The Chinese team sported black armbands as a mark of respect.
Indian Olympic medalist shuttler PV Sindhu called Zhang’s death “absolutely heartbreaking”.
“I offer my deepest condolences to Zhang’s family during this devastating time,” Sindhu wrote on X.
The team events of the competition commenced on June 28 and will end on July 2. Later, the campaign will move to the individual category from July 3-7.