A recent tragedy at the Asian Youth Championships in Indonesia has left the entire sports world and fan base deeply shocked and saddened. Zhang Zhijie, a 17-year-old Chinese badminton talent, suddenly fell to the ground during the game and then passed away. As soon as this news came out, huge waves sparked in the hearts of countless fans, and grief and dissatisfaction were intertwined. They posted their condolences on social media, while sharply criticizing the organization and emergency response of the competition.
At the moment of the game, Zhang Zhijie obviously showed symptoms of convulsions after falling to the ground. The coach of the Chinese team on the sidelines immediately rushed forward to check the situation and shouted for the doctors outside the field to come to the rescue. However, it is disappointing that from the time Zhang Zhijie fell to the ground to the intervention of a professional medical team, nearly half a minute of precious time passed. In an emergency, every second is extremely precious, so to speak, life and death. However, when the medical team arrived, they did not immediately perform CPR, and this basic first aid seemed to be ignored.
In addition, it was shocking that the referee on the sidelines actually prevented the coach of the Chinese team from approaching Zhang Zhijie, seemingly ignorant of the accident. This lack of security awareness is simply unacceptable. In contrast, when we recall Denmark's Christian Christian Eriksen coming down at the European Championships, the response was swift and effective, a contrast that raises great questions about the organisation and emergency response capabilities of the tournament.
Fans and members of the media have questioned whether the Indonesian tournament organizing committee is really equipped with the necessary medical equipment and a well-trained medical team. In such an emergency, CPR should be performed immediately and the casualty should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible, which should be standard procedures. However, judging from the handling of this incident, it is clear that these processes have not been well executed.
For a young life like Zhang Zhijie, every game should not be a contest of life and death. The AFB and all sports organizations should learn from this tragedy and overhaul the existing medical rescue system to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.
I hope that Zhang Zhijie's family can be comforted, and I also hope that Zhang Zhijie's death can become a turning point, so that future sports events can pay more attention to the safety and dignity of human life in the fierce competition. God is jealous of talent, but we cannot allow talent to be lost in negligence and mistakes. I hope that there is no pain in heaven and that Zhang Zhijie can rest there in peace.