The 17-year-old Chinese youth badminton player Zhang Zhijie suddenly collapsed during a competition in Indonesia and tragically passed away. The incident has caused significant concern and continues to draw attention. A director of the emergency department at a top-tier hospital in China pointed out that Zhang Zhijie did not receive immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an automatic external defibrillator (AED) on-site, which was a fatal mistake.
On the evening of June 30, Zhang Zhijie, a key player in China’s men’s singles badminton team, collapsed during the mixed team group stage of the 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championship and unfortunately passed away despite rescue efforts.
The Badminton World Federation, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, expressed sorrow for Zhang Zhijie’s untimely death on the afternoon of July 1 local time. The Federation extended its deepest condolences to Zhang Zhijie’s family, teammates, the Chinese Badminton Association, and the entire Chinese badminton community.
The Badminton World Federation also mentioned that they are waiting for the official reports from the Asian Badminton Confederation and the local organizing committee to assess whether proper medical procedures were followed when Zhang Zhijie collapsed on the court.
Zhang Zhijie, born on January 30, 2007, in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, was a member of the national youth badminton team. He had previously won the men’s singles champion in the 2023 National Youth Badminton Championship Group B, the men’s team champion, and the men’s team champion in the 2024 National Youth Badminton Championship Group B.
The news of the 17-year-old Zhang Zhijie’s passing has deeply saddened the nation, with concerns raised about the timeliness and adequacy of on-site medical treatment. Professional individuals have raised doubts about the lack of timely implementation of necessary measures.
According to the announcement by the Chinese Badminton Association, Zhang Zhijie suddenly collapsed on the court, and the Chinese team leader, coach, team doctor, translator, and the organizing committee’s medical staff promptly organized rescue efforts and rushed him to the hospital. Despite the efforts of the event’s medical team and the local hospital, Zhang Zhijie tragically passed away at 23:20 local time on June 30.
Video footage from the competition showed Zhang Zhijie collapsing and convulsing during the match. Forty seconds later, medical personnel entered the field and conducted a brief examination of Zhang Zhijie. Approximately two minutes after collapsing, Zhang Zhijie was brought out on a stretcher and taken away from the pitch.
Although the Chinese team’s coach rushed onto the field, it was evident from the on-site footage that from Zhang Zhijie’s collapse to being carried out on a stretcher, the on-site medical team did not perform AED or CPR procedures.
The local media reported that from the broadcast footage, the medical team did not have an automatic external defibrillator (AED) with them and did not perform CPR on Zhang Zhijie at the scene.
On the day of the incident, the local hospital did not disclose the exact cause of death. Several professionals speculated based on the video of Zhang Zhijie collapsing during the match that he likely suffered from sudden cardiac death.
Dr. Lu Xiao, deputy director of the emergency department at Zhejiang University Second Hospital, posted on Weibo, stating, “For such a young athlete to die suddenly, with obvious convulsions before death, from my perspective, the patient likely had a high probability of a malignant arrhythmia. In such cases, the key to emergency response is for medical personnel or bystanders to promptly assess the situation and perform CPR on the spot, using an AED to defibrillate, rather than just placing the patient on a stretcher and leaving.”
According to a report by Caixin, a doctor from a top-tier hospital’s emergency department analyzed, “It may be considered a sudden cardiac death.” Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) refers to the sudden natural death within an hour due to heart disease. Further examinations are required to determine the specific cause of sudden cardiac death.
“It is highly likely to be cardiac arrest,” stated a director of the emergency department at a top-tier hospital in central China. Cardiac arrest is one of the causes of sudden cardiac death. When cardiac arrest occurs, immediate resuscitation of the patient is required. Before professional medical personnel arrive, CPR should be performed on the patient, including chest compressions and artificial respiration. Upon the arrival of professional medical personnel, continuous CPR should be performed on the patient, along with defibrillation and oxygen supplementation for assisted breathing, aiming to restore the patient to normalcy as soon as possible, thus preventing sudden cardiac death.
The director of the emergency department mentioned, “Regrettably, from the video footage, there was no immediate performance of CPR at the scene, which was a fatal mistake. The national team should have had a team doctor trained in professional emergency care.” Expressing regret, the director noted that from Zhang Zhijie’s collapse at 0:27 to being carried out of the venue at 2:26, the on-site medical staff did not implement CPR or other emergency measures, stating that this was a tragedy that should not have occurred.
The emergency department doctor also believed that in the event of such a sudden incident, the individual’s vital signs must be assessed first. If no pulse is detected, and there is no chest movement or breathing observed, chest compressions, CPR, AED, and defibrillation should all be immediately implemented, rather than immediately transferring the patient, as the transfer process may delay chest compressions and defibrillation device monitoring. “Therefore, from a medical assessment perspective, there are some procedural issues here.”
The doctor emphasized that CPR and AED operation methods are relatively simple and can be completed by non-medical personnel after learning. Upon discovering such an emergency, the first person to notice it can act as the caller and rescuer, with their initial assessment being crucial, followed by chest compressions. During the distress call, AED should be carried along for emergency treatment.
“The widespread dissemination of CPR is crucial. In public places such as sports venues, swimming pools, airports, and metro stations, staff should undergo professional emergency skills training,” stated the emergency department director.
Equipping professional emergency rescue equipment during large-scale competitions or high-intensity training, enhancing non-athlete personnel’s knowledge of first aid, promoting timely rescue methods at venues, and effectively preventing the occurrence of sudden cardiac events. A study conducted at the University of Washington in the United States analyzed sudden cardiac arrest/death events during high school sports competitions in seven states from 2007 to 2013. The study found that with immediate assistance from AED, the survival rate of student-athletes experiencing sudden cardiac arrest could reach 64%-89%.
There have been similar rescue cases in China as well. According to media reports, in November last year, a man in Leshan, Sichuan Province suddenly collapsed in a badminton facility, with an AED located ten meters away. After receiving CPR treatment on-site from others, the man was taken to the hospital and eventually saved.
During the 2020 European Championship, which began in June 2021, a first aid incident also caught global attention. In the 42nd minute of the Group B match between Denmark and Finland, Danish player Christian Eriksen collapsed without body contact. The referee immediately signaled for the team doctor to enter, while the Danish team captain promptly opened Eriksen’s mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue. The players formed a protective wall to maintain the patient’s privacy. When the team doctor arrived, Eriksen had breathing and a pulse, but then his heartbeat stopped and required CPR. Defibrillation was performed, and after nearly twenty minutes of emergency treatment on the field, Eriksen was finally taken to the hospital after regaining consciousness. Eriksen subsequently underwent heart defibrillator implantation surgery and is now actively playing on the field. It can be said that Eriksen’s fortunate “comeback from death” was made possible by the professional, timely, and well-organized treatment on the pitch.