The Chinese Badminton Federation expressed its condolences following the death of Zhang Zhijie, a promising 17-year-old player from the Chinese national team, during a match at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

Zhang, born on January 30, 2007, suddenly collapsed on June 30 during the last group stage match of the tournament held in the city, located in the center of Java, the most populous island of Indonesia.

The organizers reported that, despite immediate rescue efforts by the Chinese team and the tournament's medical staff, Zhang passed away in a hospital at 23:20 local time (16:20 GMT).

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The Chinese Badminton Association expressed its "deep sorrow" and extended its condolences to the young athlete's family, also thanking the support received from various sectors of society.

The young player, originally from Jiaxing (in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang), joined the national youth team in 2023 and had won numerous titles, including the men's singles championship and the team championship in Group B of the 2023 and 2024 Junior Badminton Championships in China.

The incident has generated criticism and debates on social media in the Asian giant about the effectiveness of the medical response during the event.

Spectators and medical professionals have questioned the lack of use of automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation on-site.

In a statement published by the Asian Badminton Federation and the Indonesian Badminton Association, it was affirmed that Zhang Zhijie "was taken in the available emergency ambulance and transported to the hospital in less than two minutes," but "unfortunately, the young player's life could not be saved."

Currently, the local hospital has not yet identified the cause of death, and the investigation continues.