The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) announced the withdrawal of the medical team that attended to Chinese teenage badminton player Zhang Zhijie, who tragically passed away after collapsing during a match at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Indonesia. The incident was reported by CNN Indonesia and occurred two weeks ago.
Following Zhang's sudden death, PBSI had been involved in managing the situation. However, as of July 12, the organization decided to withdraw the medical team. Armand Darmadji, chairman of the championship's organizing committee, explained that the decision was due to other commitments: "Our team has said goodbye to Zhang's family and the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) team, as there are many matters to attend to in the coming week."
Despite this, Darmadji emphasized that PBSI is still ready to assist: "We have informed the CBA chairman about our limitations, but we are available to help. If Zhang's family wants to repatriate him, we will provide support and send a team to handle the process."
The CBA has not yet commented on the situation but mentioned that an official report will be released soon.
The delayed response from medical personnel during Zhang's collapse has sparked outrage on Chinese social media. Videos show that after Zhang fell and began convulsing, medical staff did not immediately intervene. They arrived later but did not use an automated external defibrillator (AED) or perform CPR. Nearly two minutes later, Zhang was carried off the court on a stretcher to a medical facility, where he was later pronounced dead.
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PBSI officials explained the delay was due to procedural rules requiring medical personnel to get permission from referees before entering the court.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) expressed condolences and stated that a full review of the incident will be conducted with PBSI. The BWF is waiting for an official report from Badminton Asia and the local organizers to see if the correct medical procedures were followed during the tragedy.
