In this photo released by All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI), players and official observe a moment of silence for Chinese badminton player Zhang Zhijie who died after collapsing while playing at Asia Junior Championships Sunday night, at Amongrogo Stadium in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. - PBSI via AP
PETALING JAYA: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) are taking all necessary steps to thoroughly review their emergency response during tournaments.
In a statement released by the world body yesterday, they said they were now in consultation with the Badminton Asia and the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to look into the tragic death of China shuttler Zhang Zhijie during the Asian Junior Championships in Yogyakarta on Sunday.
The 17-year-old collapsed on court while playing his boys' singles match against Kazuma Kawano of Japan.
His coach jumped over the A-board, desperate to help his player who was convulsing but was stopped by the umpire, before medical assistance finally arrived.
According to the BWF rule, medical teams have to wait for the referee to let them on the court
The promising player was pronounced dead at 11.20pm. A day later, a PBSI spokesman said the Dutch Junior International champion had suffered cardiac arrest.
After the incident, PBSI said they would submit a proposal to BWF to re-look into their emergency response Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while former singles legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei wanted the world body to review their medical team and re-look their tournament schedule for players.
BWF said they were waiting for an official report from Badminton Asia.
"While the Badminton Asia Junior Championships are under the jurisdiction of Badminton Asia, BWF do have an overall set of medical guidelines and instructions that are available for use by other governing bodies (regional or national) hosting BWF-sanctioned tournaments," read the statement.
"However, it is up to each governing body as to how they implement these medical protocols and practices onsite at its events.
"BWF are waiting for an official report from Badminton Asia and the Local Organising Committee to assess whether the correct medical procedures were followed in providing aid to Zhang when he fell to the court.
"According to the guidelines, the tournament doctor, under the direction of the referee, has the responsibility to respond to emergencies on court, including suspected cardiac arrest, and in this scenario, to provide intervention until proper medical services can be available (e.g. ambulance).
"When implementing these guidelines, it is reinforced that all personnel need to be ready at all times to respond to all required medical interventions, including emergencies, as soon as possible.
BWF will make changes depending on the outcome of their review.
"Following the completion of our review, we will determine whether specific aspects of these guidelines need to be changed.
"An existing review, initiated earlier this year, evaluating the BWF policies and procedures regarding emergency intervention by tournament doctors to ensure the most appropriate and timely care, will include findings from BWF’s assessment and the Badminton Asia report."
Meanwhile, the world body took the opportunity again to express their deepest condolences to Zhijie’s family, his teammates, the Chinese Badminton Association, and the entire Chinese badminton community.
