The badminton officials announced that a 17-year-old Chinese player named Zhang Zhijie passed away after collapsing during a match in Indonesia. The incident occurred during the Asian Junior Badminton Mixed Team Championships while he was playing against Japan's Kazuma Kawano. Zhang fell to the floor suddenly when the score was tied at 11-11 in the first game.

Zhang Zhijie passed away at 17

Zhijie collapsed during his badminton match against Kazuma Kawano, which resulted in China winning the tie and advancing to the quarter-finals as Group D champions. The Badminton Asia organization confirmed the tragic event and expressed their condolences for the loss of a talented player.

He died due to cardiac arrest


During a press conference, Broto Happy, spokesperson for the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), explained that medical conclusions determined the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest. He also mentioned that Zhang's parents were on their way to Yogyakarta to retrieve his body. Happy defended the medical staff and local organisers against criticism of their response time after footage showed a hesitant reaction when Zhang collapsed.

Zhang Zhijie Age

Zhang had started playing badminton since kindergarten and joined China’s national youth team in 2023. He was selected for China's national youth team last year, and he began 2024 with a singles title at the prestigious Dutch Junior International. Zhijie was set to participate in the individual event following his appearance in the mixed team competition on July 3. He holds the seventh seed in the boys' singles category for this event.