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BEIJING – The Asian and Chinese governing bodies of badminton mourned the passing of Chinese teenage shuttler Zhang Zhijie who collapsed on the court at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2024 held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia late Sunday.
Badminton Asia on Monday said in a statement: "China's Zhang Zhijie, a singles player, collapsed on the court during a match in the evening and was sent to the hospital where he passed away at 23:20 local time yesterday.”
“Zhijie was playing a group stage match against Japan when he collapsed and was attended to by the tournament doctor and medical team. He was taken in the standby ambulance in less than two minutes and sent to the hospital," it added.
Badminton Asia expressed "sincere condolences to his parents, family, and the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA)," adding that "The world of badminton has lost a talented player."
The 17-year-old Zhang, a member of China's badminton youth team, won the men's singles title at the Dutch Junior International in March this year.
The CBA released a statement later on Monday, saying that the local hospital had not yet identify the cause of death, and they would continue to stay in contact with Badminton Asia and the organizing committee of the Championships.
"We will do our best to help Zhang's family," the CBA said. (Xinhua)
