In July 2024, the Badminton Asia Youth Team Championships came to an end in Indonesia. China eventually defeated South Korea to win the championship, but it was not a moment to celebrate. Because of the tragic death of 17-year-old Chinese player Zhang Zhijie in this match, the price paid for this victory is too heavy.
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The occurrence of this tragedy not only cast a shadow on the Chinese badminton team, but also aroused the attention of the International Badminton Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, this also makes people see the serious lack of event safety management and emergency response capabilities.
What happened to make a young badminton player die forever? Who is to blame for this tragedy?
In an instant of life and death, tragedy struck
According to eyewitness accounts at the scene, the cause of the incident was an unexpected incident during the game.
At that time, the competition was in the heat of the day, and China's Zhang Zhijie was battling off against the South Korean player. Suddenly, when Zhang Zhijie quickly switched directions, the whole person shook for a moment, and then fell to the field without warning.
"I felt something was wrong because he looked completely out of balance and he just fell straight to the ground." A coach of the Chinese team anxiously recalled, "We rushed to the sidelines, but the referee never let us in to check the situation. "
Another witness also said, "The medical team on the field did not react immediately, they just watched from the sidelines, and did not immediately go to the field to check." We all watched Zhang Zhijie lying there alone, motionless. "
Just as everyone was holding their breath and anxiously waiting for the arrival of the medical team, a terrible scene happened. Zhang Zhijie suddenly began to convulse violently, and the scene suddenly fell into chaos.
"We were all terrified and shouted from the sidelines, 'Hurry up and save people!' However, the medical team still did not act. We are in a hurry, for fear that if we delay any longer, something will happen. A member of the Chinese team said with tears in his eyes.
Finally, the medical team couldn't withstand the pressure of the scene and rushed to the field. But when they finished the examination, their faces suddenly turned pale. Subsequently, they immediately rushed Zhang Zhijie to a nearby hospital.
"We didn't feel good at the time, because Zhang Zhijie didn't react at all. The medical team's expressions were also very serious, and we were all worried that something big would happen. Eyewitness Xiao Zhang said worriedly.
Sure enough, the heart-wrenching news came soon after - Zhang Zhijie had been rescued in the hospital and unfortunately passed away. The news came like a bolt from the blue, leaving the entire team and the audience in the stadium mourning.
"When we heard the news, we all wept bitterly. We can't believe that a 17-year-old child could die like this, it's so sad. The head coach of the Chinese badminton team choked up.
The occurrence of this tragedy not only cast a shadow on Chinese badminton, but also plunged the entire arena into sadness. Everyone mourned the young life, and was also angry and questioned the way the accident was handled.
Life safety first
When the news of the tragedy spread quickly on the Internet, netizens expressed their indignation and dissatisfaction.
"How could this happen? How can the International Badminton Federation and the local competition organizing committee be so disregarding the safety of the players? Are they only concerned about winning the game, and ignoring the most basic rescue and emergency treatment?"
"At the critical moment, the referee did not let the coach of the Chinese team enter the field to check the situation, which is simply incredible. Even according to the rules, in the event of such an emergency, there should be a special way to deal with it!"
"The medical team on the scene is too slow to respond, right? It's too unprofessional for a person to fall on the field and not move, and they are still hesitating on the sidelines. How can such a life be treated like this?"
With all kinds of doubts and accusations, people can't help but ask, who is responsible for this tragedy?
In this regard, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry also expressed the serious concern of the Chinese government at a recent regular press conference.
"As soon as we learned of this heart-wrenching accident, the Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya immediately activated the emergency response mechanism and lodged solemn representations with the International Badminton Federation and the local Badminton Association. We demand a thorough investigation of the cause of the accident and the protection of the lives of athletes. "
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the safety of athletes' lives should be the highest priority, both in the domestic and international arenas. No tournament organizer should ignore the special handling of emergencies because of the restrictions of some regular rules.
"In this life-or-death moment, everyone should take responsibility for their lives and do everything they can to save endangered athletes. We hope that the BWF and the local organisers will seriously investigate this matter and take practical and effective measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again. "
These remarks undoubtedly ignited the anger of the majority of netizens. Everyone said that the indifference and inaction shown by the International Badminton Federation and the Indonesian Badminton Association in this accident are really outrageous.
"We have been calling for raising awareness of the safety of athletes, but these international organizations just don't listen. Now that such a tragic accident has finally happened, they should realize the seriousness of the problem, right?" An enthusiastic netizen said indignantly.
Some people even pointed out that this tragedy just highlights the serious problems of the International Badminton Federation in the organization of the event. Lin Dan has repeatedly reminded the International Badminton Federation that the schedule needs to be reasonably planned
A few years ago, Chinese badminton Olympic champion Lin Dan repeatedly called on the International Badminton Federation to make reasonable adjustments to the schedule.
Lin Dan pointed out that in badminton competitions, athletes often have a second start and continuous acceleration, which is a huge test of cardiopulmonary function. Although badminton does not seem to be a lot of exercise, it is also a great burden for athletes to compete continuously.
"I've been in a situation where I've been competing for a month in a row. This kind of high-intensity, high-frequency event arrangement is very taxing on the body. Lin Dan said frankly, "If the schedule is unreasonable, it is easy to cause excessive fatigue of the athletes' bodies, which will cause various safety hazards." "
Lin Dan has repeatedly made relevant suggestions to the International Badminton Federation, hoping that they can make reasonable adjustments to the schedule to ensure the health and safety of athletes. Unfortunately, the BWF did not take these recommendations seriously and did not take any substantive measures to improve them.
"We have repeatedly stressed the seriousness of the problem, but the BWF just did nothing. Now that such a tragic accident has finally occurred, it is time for them to realize the importance of the problem. Lin Dan said sadly.
In fact, in addition to the scheduling problem, the International Badminton Federation and the Indonesian Badminton Association have also exposed many loopholes in other aspects in this tragedy.
For example, on-site medical care is very unprofessional. At critical junctures, they did not respond correctly in the first place, resulting in valuable rescue time being wasted. Another example is that the referee did not let the coach enter the field to check the situation, which is obviously against the spirit of humanitarianism.
"It's really hard for me to understand how they still follow the rules in such a life-or-death situation. Are rules more important than life?" A netizen asked angrily.
Other netizens said that the problems exposed by the accident are far more than that. They believe that there is a comprehensive lack of safety management in the BWF tournament.
"We have to focus not only on the schedule and on-site rescue, but also on the safety and security mechanisms of the whole event. For example, is there a full range of first-aid equipment on the field? Is the medical team professional? These are all areas that deserve in-depth examination and reform. "
A sports expert analyzed, "Only by fundamentally improving the safety management of events can we truly avoid the recurrence of such tragedies." This is not only the responsibility of the IBF, but also that of all sports organisations. "
The process of reflection reveals new changes
The shock caused by this tragic accident is not only limited to the badminton circle, but also arouses widespread attention from all walks of life.
Following the statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Badminton Federation also reacted accordingly. It is reported that the International Badminton Federation has launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter and asked the Indonesian Badminton Association to provide a detailed report. At the same time, they pledged to take the necessary reform measures based on the results of the investigation to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.
We will comprehensively review the safety management system during the competition, and conduct in-depth exchanges with the badminton associations of various countries to find ways to improve together. The spokesperson of the International Badminton Federation said solemnly.
Prior to this, the Indonesian Badminton Association had also submitted an application to the International Badminton Federation to amend the rules of the event. They believe that in special emergency situations, the existing rules are too rigid to effectively protect the lives of athletes.
"We believe that when a similar situation occurs, the referee and the medical team should have special emergency handling powers, such as suspending the game and allowing the coach to enter the stadium to see. In this way, the safety of the players' lives can be guaranteed to the greatest extent. The president of the Indonesian Badminton Association wrote in a letter.
This application undoubtedly points the way for future reform of the IBF. Many netizens also expressed their hope that the International Badminton Federation can seriously learn the lessons of this tragedy and fundamentally improve the safety management system of the event.
"It's not just about badminton, it's a challenge that all sports have to face. We would like to see international sports organizations pay more attention to the safety of athletes, rather than sticking to outdated rules. An enthusiastic netizen said.
In addition, some experts said that the accident also triggered a reflection on the medical security work of the event.
"We should re-examine the emergency response system at the game site. It is not only necessary to be fully equipped with first-aid equipment, but also to ensure the professionalism and responsiveness of the medical team. Only in this way can the lives of athletes be protected to the greatest extent. A well-known sports medicine expert proposed.
In short, this harrowing tragedy not only shocked the entire sports world, but also aroused strong concern from all walks of life. We hope that through in-depth reflection on this accident, we can promote international sports organizations to carry out a comprehensive reform of the safety management mechanism, effectively protect the lives of athletes, and prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.
Let's call together that the safety of athletes, no matter what the stage, should be the highest priority. Let us all hope that through the reflection and reform of this accident, the sports industry can usher in a safer and more humane new era.
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#痛心! 17-year-old Chinese player Zhang Zhijie unfortunately passed away