Chinese youth badminton team
17-year-old men's singles main Zhang Zhijie
On the evening of June 30 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Participated in the 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championships
Fell to the ground and fainted during the mixed team group stage,
He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment and unfortunately passed away.
From Zhang Zhijie fell on the field
to be carried on a stretcher by the medical staff of the organizing committee,
the medical team's on-site first aid,
aroused athletes' families, professionals
and the doubts of the majority of fans.
According to reports, about 30 seconds after Zhang Zhijie fell to the ground, the on-site event medical team entered the stadium, and after about 30 seconds, Zhang Zhijie was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher for further treatment. It can be seen from the scene that from the time Zhang Zhijie fell to the ground to the time he was carried off the field on a stretcher, the medical team at the venue did not administer AED (external defibrillator) or CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) first aid.
BWF rules were condemned
On the afternoon of July 1, the Badminton World Federation issued a message to mourn Zhang Zhijie, expressing grief for his unfortunate passing, and expressing its deepest condolences to his family, teammates, the Chinese Badminton Association and the entire Chinese badminton community.
At the same time, the BWF's rule that medical teams should not be allowed to enter without the permission of the referee has been strongly condemned. The Indonesian Badminton Federation (BWF) submitted a written request to amend the rules so that athletes can receive immediate medical treatment.
After Zhang Zhijie fell, the coach of the Chinese team rushed into the field as soon as possible, but the referee on duty did not allow him to learn more about the athletes, but waited for the medical team of the organizing committee to enter. Footage showed that the medical team was not carrying an automated external defibrillator (AED) and did not administer first aid measures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to him.
Although the BWF and the Indonesian BWF stressed that he was taken to the hospital by ambulance in less than two minutes. But the first hospital he was taken to was a 10-minute drive, and if the medical staff did not do the relevant rescue on the way to the hospital, the golden four minutes would have flowed away.
The Indonesian Badminton Association and the local hospital held a press conference to explain the death of Zhang Zhijie. After he was taken to the hospital, he was no longer breathing and had no pulse, and the hospital immediately performed a three-hour cardiac resuscitation on him, and was confirmed dead at 20:50 local time. The Chinese Badminton Association did not give up, transferred Zhang Zhijie to another hospital for further rescue, and after 1.5 hours of cardiac resuscitation, he was pronounced dead at 23:20. At present, the athlete's body is still in the hospital, waiting for his family to arrive from China.
Many professionals judged from the game video of Zhang Zhijie falling that he was more likely to have sudden cardiac death.
Lu Xiao, an emergency physician at the Second Hospital of Zhejiang University, believes that the key to first aid for such a young athlete who dies suddenly and has obvious convulsions before sudden death is that the medical personnel or bystanders judge the situation at the first time and do cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the spot, using an automated external defibrillator (AED) to defibrillate, rather than putting the patient on a stretcher and carrying it away. If the patient is resuscitated and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, he believes that there is still a good chance that he can be rescued.
The team doctor revealed the relevant rules for the treatment of badminton events
While many sports enthusiasts feel sorry for Zhang Zhijie, they also have a better understanding of the high-intensity sport of badminton, and then feel daunted.
Zhuang Kezhen, the team doctor of the Guangdong badminton team, reminded the majority of badminton enthusiasts to understand their physical condition and control the exercise intensity before playing. Badminton is a sport that combines speed and explosiveness, especially in the game, almost every movement starts in a sprint state, and its intensity is one of the best in many sports. Amateur golfers should not exert too much force in the game, especially after a long period of hard work, as this will overload the body and increase the risk of injury.
Guangdong Province badminton team doctor Zhuang Kezhen
He revealed that at present, the international and domestic competitions of badminton are equipped with medical teams by the organizing committee, and if an athlete has any condition during the competition, the medical team will enter the stadium for treatment, and the team doctor will not be allowed to enter the venue. In soccer matches, team doctors are allowed to enter the field when athletes are injured, and in gymnastics matches, team doctors are allowed to be on the sidelines of athletes during competitions.
The medical team for badminton tournaments in China will have emergency doctors with extensive experience in first aid, and AEDs are available for major tournaments. The medical team needs to be familiar not only with the use of the equipment, but also with a good understanding of the location of the equipment and the route of emergency services.
Source: Guangzhou Daily New Flower City
Editor: Yu Dan