On the evening of June 30 at the Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Chinese badminton player Zhang Zhijie suddenly fainted during the mixed team event group stage final match. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment but unfortunately passed away.
According to Chinese media reports on the 1st, Zhang suddenly collapsed and experienced severe convulsions while attempting to reach the shuttlecock in an 11-11 tie against Japanese singles player, Kazuma Kawano. Tournament medical staff rushed to assist him. Zhang was transferred to the hospital by ambulance within two minutes. However, he tragically passed away at 11:20 PM local time.
The Chinese government has not officially disclosed the cause of Zhang’s death. However, the Indonesian Badminton Association stated, “After examining and treating Zhang at two hospitals, it was concluded that he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.”
Badminton players and officials in Yogyakarta observed a minute of silence on the morning of the 1st before the quarterfinals to mourn Zhang. The Asian Badminton Federation posted condolences for Zhang’s death on social media.
Zhang started playing badminton in kindergarten and joined the Chinese national youth team in 2023. Earlier in 2024, he won the singles title at the Dutch Junior International Championship.