An irreparable tragedy
The 2024 Asian Youth Badminton Championships is a heart-wrenching match. In Indonesia, China's 17-year-old Zhang Zhijie suddenly collapsed and finally died due to ineffective rescue. It is chilling that this talented young man fell on the battlefield like this.
We have to ask: what exactly happened in this game? Did the medical team at the scene do their best to save the young man's life? The aftermath of the discussion also raised a series of sharp questions. The details of this passage are thought-provoking.
An emergency rescue blunder
According to the video at the scene, when Zhang Zhijie fell to the ground, the referee at the scene did not take any action in time. They even prevented the Chinese coach from coming in to check on the situation. This is incomprehensible. Every second counts to save lives, but the response on the ground lags significantly. It wasn't until the Chinese coach took the initiative to rush forward that the on-site medical team was finally invited in.
However, even when the medical team was present, their performance was similarly unsatisfactory. According to eyewitnesses, they looked at a loss and did not use the AED defibrillator or perform CPR in a timely manner. Such delays could have irreversible consequences.
In stark contrast to this, Danish player Christian Eriksen was rescued at Euro 2021. Within just 52 seconds of his fainting, the medical team arrived at the scene and quickly activated the AED device. Eventually, they managed to get Erikson to the hospital, saving his life. This comparison makes people sigh that there is still a long way to go in the badminton arena in terms of medical rescue efficiency and professionalism.
Call for rule changes to improve the quality of medical care
After the match, the well-known Indonesian sports media "Badminton Talk" called on the BWF to revise the rules for handling medical malpractice. According to the existing regulations, when an athlete has an emergency, the coach is not allowed to enter the stadium as soon as possible. This has undoubtedly exacerbated the delay in the rescue. The media called for the safety of athletes' lives to be given priority and coaches allowed to enter the scene for rescue as soon as possible.
At the same time, the media also called on all medical teams to be equipped with AED defibrillators to deal with similar cardiac arrest situations. This is undoubtedly a sound suggestion. In the face of an emergency, medical teams must have sufficient expertise and equipment to maximize the success of rescue.
We understand that under the pressure of the event, it is inevitable that the medical team will make mistakes. But this mistake has caused irreparable tragedy, and we must pay attention to it. As a sports powerhouse, China should exert its influence and call on international sports organizations to reform the rules and improve the level of medical care throughout sports events to ensure the safety of athletes.
We would like to observe a moment of silence for the deceased and may his passing inspire us to work together to build a safer environment for athletes.
We must seriously reflect on this tragedy and promote the overall improvement of medical care for sports events.
First and foremost, we must hold the medical team on the ground accountable. Their panic at the critical moment directly led to the loss of this young life. It is necessary to investigate their expertise, procedures, and first aid equipment to identify the root cause of the problem and hold those responsible accountable. Only in this way can we put an end to the occurrence of similar accidents in the future.
At the same time, we need to start from the level of institutional mechanisms to promote the improvement of rules and the improvement of enforcement. The BWF should revise the regulations on the handling of medical accidents as soon as possible, giving coaches the right to enter the stadium for assistance as soon as possible, so as to shorten the critical time delay. At the same time, it is also necessary to clearly define the professional standards and staffing requirements of the medical team to ensure that they can quickly make professional judgment and effective rescue in the face of emergencies.
The improvement of medical assistance is not only about individual events, but also about the safety and security of entire sporting events. We call on all major sports organizations to take this tragedy as a lesson to seriously reflect on the shortcomings of their own healthcare systems and develop comprehensive improvement plans. Only in this way can we truly build a safer sports arena where athletes can fight with peace of mind and strive for higher achievements.
We believe that as long as we work together for the safety of athletes, we will be able to learn from the tragedy, stimulate the impetus for reform, and ultimately achieve an all-round improvement in the level of medical care for sports events. Let us pray for the deceased and build a solid backing for future athletes.