Elite athletes are susceptible to a syndrome called "athlete's heart," which can cause sudden collapse during training or competition, said former National Sports Institute (NSI) CEO Datuk Dr. Ramlan Abdul Aziz.
Dr. Ramlan, a sports science and medicine expert, was commenting on the sudden death of China's up-and-coming shuttler Zhang Zhijie during Sunday's mixed team group tie against Japan at the Badminton Asian Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
He explained that cardiovascular issues can occur even in healthy athletes.
"The muscles of an athlete's heart can thicken due to long-term rigorous training. This can disturb the electrical conduction, and under certain stressful conditions may result in an increased heart rate with irregular patterns.
"The heart then does not function normally. Blood circulation, especially to the brain, will be affected.
"When that happens, it can cause a loss of consciousness, with the athlete collapsing in an alarming manner, without any sign of an attempt to break the fall," said Dr. Ramlan, the former National Sports Council (NSC) director-general.
On Sunday, 30 June 2024, Zhang Zhijie collapsed and was rushed to the hospital during his match against Japan's Kazuma Kawano.
Watch Facebook post here
The 17-year-old Chinese player, Zhang Zhijie, died on 30 June 2024, after collapsing during an Asian tournament in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as confirmed by Indonesia’s Badminton Association on Monday.
Zhang was competing against Japan's Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships on Sunday, 30 June 2024, when he suddenly collapsed and began seizing.
Medical teams immediately attended to Zhang on the court before transporting him by ambulance to a nearby hospital. He was later transferred to Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta's main government hospital.
Broto Happy, spokesperson for Indonesia's Badminton Association, stated that both hospitals concluded Zhang suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Zhang Zhijie (Chinese: 张志杰; 30 January 2007 – 30 June 2024) was a Chinese badminton player. He played for China in the 2024 Badminton Asia Junior Championships before his death.
Zhang was playing against Kazuma Kawano ( from Japan ) in a match during the 2024 Badminton Asia Junior Championships. He collapsed onto the court when the score was 11-11 and died of cardiac arrest.
Outcry over teen athlete's fatal collapse during match
The death of a Chinese teenage
badminton player who collapsed
on court has sparked an outcry
across Chinese social media.
Zhang Zhijie, 17, was competing in
a youth match when he suddenly
fell to the floor in convulsions. He
was later pronounced dead at a
hospital.
Footage of the incident, shared
widely online, showed a pause
of about 40 seconds before
medics rushed to attend to
Zhang.
Officials have come under intense
criticism and questions on whether
his life could have been saved by
quicker medical intervention.
Indonesia's badminton association
PBSI later said he had suffered a
sudden cardiac arrest.
The Badminton Asia Junior
Championships match had taken
place in the Indonesian city of
Yogyakarta on Sunday, with Zhang
playing against Kazuma Kawano
of Japan.
After Zhang collapses, a man is
seen running to help him, but he
stops in his tracks and appears to
look off court for further instruction.
A PBSI spokesman later told
reporters that medical teams had
to follow a rule where they needed
the referee's permission before
entering the court.
“That is in accordance with the
regulations and standards of
procedure that applies to every
international badminton
tournament," he said.
Badminton Asia, the regional arm of
the sport's governing body
Badminton World Federation, also
said Zhang was taken to an
ambulance within two minutes.
PBSI is now planning to ask the
federation to re-evaluate this rule so
it can be "more situational, for
actions to be taken more quickly so
that athletes can be saved if there
is a similar case in the future".
Other professional sports bodies,
such as the International Football
Association Board (IFAB), have a
similar rule.
But on Chinese users of social
media platform Weibo, there was
an outpouring of anger, with many
widely condemning the rule.
"Which is more important - the rules
or someone's life?" said a comment
which was liked by thousands.
"Did they miss the 'golden period' to
rescue him?" read another
comment under a hashtag on
Zhang's death, which has been a
trending topic on Weibo for days.
Others called for the Badminton
World Federation to "overhaul"
the rules, with one saying: "Why
do we need permission when
lives are at stake?"
Chinese state media outlet Xinhua
published a commentary on
Tuesday morning saying the
incident "raised critical questions"
about emergency response
procedures at sports events.
"Regardless of how rules are
formulated or how referees
officiate, prioritising life should
always be the highest rule on the
playing field," it said.
Zhang had been hailed as a rising
star in the sport, and his death has
prompted several tributes and
condolences.
Badminton Asia said they were
"immensely saddened" and added
that "the world of badminton has
lost a talented player".
Chinese junior
badminton player
Zhang Zhijie dies
during event in
Indonesia
🏸 Badminton Asia and China's Zhang collapsed during a match
against Japan player, Indonesia's
Badminton Association (PBSI)
and Badminton Asia said in a
joint statement. The tournament's
medical team arrived on the scene
before an ambulance took him to a
hospital, where Zhang died at
11:20 p.m, they said.
"Badminton Asia, PBSI and the
organising committee are
immensely saddened and
expressed their deepest
condolences to Zhang's parents,
family and Chinese Badminton
Association," they said.
Indonesia's National Olympic
Committee also offered their
deepest condolences on Zhang's
death.
China's badminton association told
state-backed China Newsweek on
Monday that they were in
communication with the
Indonesian side about concerns
over whether Zhang had received
timely medical attention.
"After learning about the incident,
the Chinese Consulate General in
Surabaya immediately contacted
and coordinated with the
Indonesian side's full rescue
efforts, and sent personnel to the
site of the incident," Chinese
foreign ministry spokesperson
Mao Ning told a news conference
in Beijing on Monday.
"We express our deep regret and
condolences for the unfortunate
death."
"Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and
was an outstanding athlete of the
National Youth Badminton Team,"
the Chinese Badminton Association
said in a statement, expressing
condolences.
"At present, the local hospital has
not been clear about the cause of
the athlete's demise," the CBA said,
adding that the Badminton
Federation of Asia, the Organising
Committee and the Indonesian
parties were monitoring
the situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment